Bord na Móna’s sustainable business accelerator programmes Accelerate Green GROW and Accelerate Green START have today (Thursday, August 22), opened for applications.
The Accelerate Green programmes are delivered by Bord na Móna in conjunction with Resolve Partners to equip “promising Irish business owners” with the skills and knowledge to scale their companies in Ireland and beyond.
Start-ups can apply for Accelerate Green START until September 19. Early-stage enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can apply for Accelerate Green GROW until November 22.
Accelerate Green GROW will commence in January 2025. The successful applicants will be brought through a series of immersive learning sessions delivered by industry leaders, entrepreneurs, potential investors and successful Irish business representatives.
Accelerate Green START is a shorter programme, with a series of learning sessions beginning on October 10. Participants will engage in modules across key areas, including customer discovery, market mapping, network development and preparation for investment pitching.
All Accelerate Green participants will have access to networking, mentoring and business development opportunities through engagement with experienced senior leaders across Bord na Móna’s businesses.
Accelerate Green
The participants also gain insight into Bord na Móna’s corporate expertise and learnings. The business has “fully transitioned” from traditional peat harvesting to climate solutions and renewable energy development.
A total of 42 sustainable Irish businesses have successfully participated in Accelerate Green programmes since 2022, with alumni raising over €10 million in venture capital to date, according to Bord na Móna.
Previous participating business leaders have come from across Ireland and operate within a range of sustainable industries, including:
- Feighery’s Farm Beetroot Juice, an Offaly-based business manufacturing organic beetroot juice;
- Weev from Belfast, Ireland’s leading privately owned electric vehicle (EV) charging network;
- Cavan’s I/O Agri, which is pioneering solutions for sustainable farming practices;
- Limerick-based Hibra Design, a sustainable automotive design engineering company which is currently partnering with Bord na Móna on a pilot programme.
Commenting on the launch of the new Accelerate Green Programme, Bord na Móna chief executive, Tom Donnellan said: “We are delighted to open applications for Accelerate Green 2025.
“Since we first launched Accelerate Green in 2022, we have seen 42 stand-out, green innovators successfully complete these programmes and continue to thrive in the climate solutions space, both in Ireland and further afield.”
“Accelerate Green is a unique and unmissable opportunity for businesses looking to grow and scale in the sustainability sector and I encourage all to apply,” the chief executive added.
Former Accelerate Green GROW participant, Hibra Design CEO Mike Keane said the programme covers a wide range of customer-focused topics in “significant depth”.
“We learned ways to show customers how the sustainability value of our services can have a real, calculable, fiscal benefit for them and how to position Hibra Design to reach global customers,” Keane said.
Applications for the Accelerate Green 2025 programmes can be made on the Accelerate Green website.