Bethesda Green Announces the Initial 7 Incubator Members
Bethesda Green is proud to welcome the initial 7 member companies of its relaunched Innovation Center Incubator. Entrepreneurs who join the Innovation Center are welcomed into a collaborative community that shares in our vision for a sustainable economy.
Bethesda Green’s Incubator supports leaders who are building for-profit business models around innovative and sustainable solutions to tackle environmental and social challenges. This sustainability-focused entrepreneurial ecosystem is designed to support entrepreneurs at every level of the business life cycle, providing guidance through early-stage challenges and fueling growth in later stages. The current members include:
- Gardenology, founded by Rueven Walder, is committed to sustainable and ecological landscaping and gardening. They are passionate about garden design and installation, with a core focus on ecology and sustainability. Unleash the power of nature and transform your outdoor space into a lush, thriving sanctuary with Gardenology’s full suite of services.
- Good Idea Solar, co-founded by Justin Aydelotte, is a veteran-owned solar developer that works with small family farms to convert a portion of their land to solar farming, which returns profitability to the farm and delivers clean, low-cost energy to the surrounding community. They develop, own and operate distributed-scale solar farms for commercial, industrial, government and community solar applications.
- Green Mechanics, co-founded by Larry Davis, is an ecological engineering firm that uses nature based solutions – verified with real time data monitoring – to lower operation costs for municipalities, farmers and communities. As a Benefit LLC, their services for economic growth and ecological and social impacts are all of equal importance. Learn more.
- Greenwood Burial Company, founded by Eric Cathcart, leads responsible, eco-friendly burial and memorialization services, emphasizing sustainability. They provide options for cremated remains and natural burials within protected landscapes, ensuring a green legacy, with a commitment to biodiversity and native species through memorial trees.
- H2O Connected, founded by Susan Springsteen, develops, manufactures, and distributes multi-patented devices that detect and quantify nearly every type of water loss problem that can occur in a tank toilet. Their device helps anyone with a toilet to save water, save money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All devices install in seconds without tools!
- Next Generation Inc., founded by Michele Joseph, offers recruitment, placement, training, career coaching and mentor services in the clean energy industry. Next Generation was conceived as a vehicle to assist both colleges and industries respond to the urgent need to expand the number of BIPOC and women represented in clean energy careers. Their expertise in education is deeply rooted in our work with schools and universities at the local, state and federal levels.
- Tribal Energy Development Company, co-founded by Ben Margolis and Chris Cook, is a Native American owned business with the culmination of over a century of combined experience and the full suite of skills to develop utility-scale, clean energy projects in partnership with tribal nations. Their goal is to foster sustainable energy practices, economic growth, and resilience for indigenous communities. Tribal Energy aims to empower tribes through the development and utilization of sustainable resources, in a manner that respects and aligns with tribal sovereignty and cultural values.
We’re excited to work with a team of diverse founders, tackling similar challenges of scaling their businesses and expanding their networks.
Founders interested in joining the Incubator community are invited to contact innovationcenter@bethesdagreen.org or visit our website to learn more about the program as we continue to accept rolling applications. The Incubator is open to all mission-aligned founders in the DMV region, working within our areas of focus: Environmental Innovations: Clean Energy / Water / Clean Tech / Natural Resources / Circular Economy / Waste Management / Sustainable Fashion; and Sustainable Food Systems: Agriculture / Food & Beverage / Packaging / Distribution / Retail.
About Bethesda Green
Bethesda Green’s mission is to be a catalyst for sustainable living and business in our local community. We incubate green businesses, educate the community about sustainable practices, and initiate collaborative solutions to create a more conscious, resilient society.
Contact:
Emily Bernard
Program Manager of the Incubator
Emily@bethesdagreen.org
