Innovation Lab Company Updates – 2022 Q1 and Q2

Innovation Lab Company Updates
2022 Q1 and Q2

Founders in the Bethesda Green Innovation Lab are building solutions for a sustainable future. Check out their latest accomplishments below.

New Funding 

• GaiaXus won an SBIR Phase 1 award from the U.S. Department of Education to build an innovative water quality measurement system to be used as a teaching aid for environmental education. Learn more.

New Partnerships & Developments 

• Elysian Holding is partnering with Chicken of the Woods Permaculture Farm, a local Maryland farm in Darnestown, on the US Department of Agriculture Value Added Producer Grant program (VAPG). This program helps agricultural producers, including family farms, enter value-added activities to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income. Learn more.
• Grateful Gardners recently completed construction on their new Hydroponic Greenhouse! With this new endeavor, the team will be able to extend their growing season and continue delivering beautiful flowers in the winter months.
• Loop Closing is partnering with Equinox Restaurant on their DC Food Waste Innovation Grant to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of composting to reach DC’s Zero Waste goals. Learn more.
• At the request of customers, Mākā launched subscriptions for each of their products, excluding the 4-pack samplers. A subscription provides 10% off, free shipping, and automated order processing. Sign up here. Mākā also became a registered Public Benefit Corporation in February 2022. The company is carbon neutral, sustainably focused, and donates a minimum of 1% proceeds to environmental initiatives, such as the Surfrider Foundation and the Nature Conservancy. In other news, Mākā now has 8 KeHE distribution centers across the country. KeHE Distributors is one of the nation’s top wholesale food distributors, providing national coverage of natural channel independent stores and natural chains. Mākā also officially launched in UNFI through its UpNext Program in April. UpNext is a 2+ year mentorship & low-cost distribution program for brands deemed to be category building and/or disruptive. 
• The Goods Finder soft-launched their new website! Check out their site to find products that are sustainable and beneficial to their communities and the world, right now featuring coffee, bedding, and luggage options. 

Awards & Recognition 

• Dynamhex was one out of only two North American companies selected for the Zurich 2022 Innovation Championship. The Zurich Innovation Championship is a worldwide challenge for entrepreneurs, where agile innovative startups are selected to participate in a 12-week Accelerator phase with the mission of cultivating top solutions to some of the insurance industry’s biggest challenges. Learn more.
• INESS-360 was selected for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Real Time Energy Management Hackathon. Since 2016, NYSERDA has awarded over $75 million of incentives to upgrade commercial, multifamily, and industrial buildings in New York with cloud-hosted analytic systems and expert consultant services.
• Mākā participated in its first selling show last month. They were selected as 1 of 8 brands for UNFI’s pitch showdown. 
• Plastic Tree was featured at the DC State Fair as part of their zero waste initiative. Founder Lara Ilao discussed DC’s waste reduction goals in this article published by the fair. 

Events

• Grateful Gardeners attended the Slow Flower Society Summit in June, where they joined creative professionals, thought leaders, and pioneers in the Slow Flowers community to hear from provoking speakers and explore conscious and ethical practices in the floral industry.
• Margik participated in the Unicorn Cup Finals in April, a global pitch competition where global startups can meet accredited investors. You can watch Margik’s pitch presentation here.