Teams
The Circular Accelerator is a six-month program that provides business and technical support to advance selected projects and strengthen the circular economy in Washington state. Learn more about the Circular Accelerator.
Showcase Winners: Cohort 2 (2024)
In September 2024, after six months of hard work in the Circular Accelerator program, 12 teams pitched their initiatives and competed for $28,000 in awards. Watch back the winning pitches below and visit the NextCycle Washington YouTube channel to see all of Cohort 2’s pitch recordings.
Furniture Repair Bank
Community Group Best Pitch Award
NaturallyContained
Launch Group Best Pitch & People’s Choice Awards
Reclaim Project Recovery
Community Group People’s Choice Award
Revino
Innovation Group Best Pitch & People’s Choice Awards
Cohort 2 (2023-2024)
Atlan’s Back to Life Biochar & Soil Regeneration Services is seeking to scale its biochar soil amendment and compost business, upgrade equipment, capture more food waste, and replicate this process for others.
Biomass Controls is seeking to locate a facility in Washington state that will processes absorbent hygiene products, specifically post-consumer sustainable diapers, and is seeking funding/financing, site identification, and partnerships.
Corumat is seeking to develop The Big Green Loop® – a packaging ecosystem where compostable materials and food waste are recycled back into more compostable packaging.
Electra is seeking to enable better lifecycle management of end-of-life solar panels through an online platform that tracks and coordinates collection and logistics for reuse or recycling.
The Furniture Repair Bank is transitioning from pilot stage under Zero Waste Washington to a standalone non-profit organization and is seeking to refine its business and operational plans, solidify its revenue streams, and identify funding pathways.
NaturallyContained is currently launching its reusable and compostable coco fiber packaging and seeks to connect with Washington’s gardening industry to gain visibility with soil manufacturers, garden centers, and sustainably enthused gardeners.
MADF is seeking to renovate the building where the farmers will receive business services and is seeking identification of funding pathways and connection to new resources and partners.
Reclaim Project Recovery is seeking to add deconstruction and building materials reuse services with the Reuse Rebuild Center. The Reuse Rebuild Center will support its existing workforce development programs that focus on construction and other green collar jobs and introduce deconstruction services.
Remakery is seeking to pilot a micro-recycling program, collecting #2 and #5 post-consumer plastic, like bottle tops and buckets, to recycle into durable, weather resistant 2x4 beams.
Re-Use Consulting is seeking to strengthen and link Reuse Innovation Centers across the state into a network that can coordinate supplies and redistribute materials to prevent waste. Additionally, efforts to identify a southeast Washington Reuse Innovation Center would provide full state coverage.
Revino is seeking to enter the Washington marketplace with its reusable, returnable wine bottle system, refine their business model and operational plans to fit Washington’s unique market, and connect with distribution and wine industry partners.
Revolve Solar is seeking to buildout its leadership team and build a full-scale prototype of its off-grid carport powered by functional, post-lease and manufacturing reject solar panels.
TSWAN is building a pilot program with four rural tribes to set up a hub-and-spoke recycling system that aims to gather enough material to sell to potential end markets.
Showcase Winners: Cohort 1 (2023)
Refugee Artisan Initiative (RAI)
Upstream Award & People’s Choice Award
Ravel
Downstream Award
Restaurant 2 Garden
Community Impact Award
Cohort 1 (2022-2023)
developed a recycling approach for plastic using enzymes to depolymerize plastic, starting with non-bottle PET.
designing products, such as garment bags and household accessories, for laundry, textiles, and wardrobes that will utilize recycled content.
an app that facilitates the sharing, co-ownership, and mobilization of products that would otherwise be thrown away or left unused and prevents the purchase of new, community-redundant items.
a South Park youth-led team developing an engineered solution using anaerobic digestion to generate low-carbon, sustainable fuel while building community capacity.
An online company that facilitates the peer-to-peer rental of outdoor gear by matching renters with available lenders.
building AI-enabled robots that automate sorting, making recycling lower cost and more effective for recycling facilities of all sizes and budgets.
The Glass Packaging Institute and BIG Recyclers are teaming up to develop an aggregation hub in Central Washington for source-separated glass containers.
Ravel focuses on the efficient endless recovery and reuse of blended end of life textiles to create sustainable and just local materials economies for the apparel industry.
Redesign Collective is an intervention for excess materials generated by the manufacturing or returns process. We restore the value of inventory and help companies reduce their contribution to landfill while making a positive social impact in their community
With increasing wildfires, leftover fire hoses should not contribute to further global warming. RAIs innovation lab and talented artisans are a solution to this problem. Retired wildfire fire hoses are a new material that RAI is taking on as part of our circular equitable economy model. We keep fire hoses out of landfills by transporting them from a centralized location in Oregon and then storing, cleaning, drying, and repurposing them into marketable products.
a decentralized, hyperlocal system that composts local restaurant food waste into fertilizer and redistributes it to community gardens.
In March 2023, 14 teams pitched their initiatives and competed for $26,000 in awards. Watch back the winning pitches below.
Renew Seed Grant Teams
In 2023, NextCycle Washington awarded grants to early-stage projects along with light technical support, growth planning, and facilitated networking and matchmaking. Stay tuned for more information on potential grant opportunities in the future.
Art Salvage is a non-profit organization committed to promoting sustainability and creativity in Spokane.
Bennion Construction is committed to reducing waste and preserving resources by carefully dismantling old homes and salvaging reusable materials, including fixtures and framed structures.
Biomethane, LLC is a Spokane-based company that uses innovative technology to upgrade biogas generated from anaerobic digestion of city’s sewage and/or food scraps (biogas) into carbon neutral and negative RNG.
Columbia Springs is a non-profit organization that offers environmental education programs and community outdoor experiences at their 100-acre urban natural site.
Community Gearbox is a non-profit organization that encourages sharing and co-ownership among friend groups as a means of reducing waste, helping each other, and saving money by utilizing items that would otherwise sit idly in each other's homes and be unused.
Diaper Stork offers a cloth diaper service that involves collecting, washing, and delivering cloth diapers to families, empowering parents to make environmentally conscious choices for their babies and communities.
DVSA is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the environmental and social conditions of low-income and marginalized communities through community-led projects, advocacy, and education.
Green GrubBox, an initiative by Encora, LLC, establishes the groundwork for individuals to wash and reuse their take-out containers at commercial facilities.
GeerGarage allows individuals to rent outdoor gear from local enthusiasts in their neighborhood, promoting environmentally friendly practices through gear reuse.
GPI advocates for the use of glass as a sustainable packaging solution, promoting glass recycling and supporting the development of innovative glass technologies.
Leaping Sheep Farm is a farm in Tonasket, WA that specializes in sustainable and ethical farming practices.
The Making a Difference Foundation is a nonprofit that offers various programs like emergency assistance, job training, financial education, and affordable housing solutions to help people achieve stability and independence.
Methow Recycles is a non-profit organization that facilitates resource conservation through recycling, waste prevention, and materials reuse in the Methow Valley.
Minty Made is a branding and web design company that offers online courses and training to businesses and marketing professionals, specializing in sustainable branding and green marketing education for wellness and eco-based businesses.
N8madic, Inc. specializes in designing and producing sustainable furniture using eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes.
OKAPI Reusables, a California-based startup, has developed a program so people can conveniently borrow reusable cups from their favorite cafes for a small fee and return them to any cafe within the network.
Papas Small Engine Repair and Sales offers repair services and sales for small engines that values promoting sustainability and self-sufficiency in the community.
Point Roberts Organic Earth is a community-driven effort to capture and repurpose organic waste in a geographically isolated community.
Pumped Bellingham is a store that offers affordable, sustainable household essentials available through pop-up shops and home delivery services, similar to a modern-day milkman.
RE Sources is a non-profit organization that works to promote sustainable communities and protect the environment through education, advocacy, and action.
Rebundance is a Seattle-based company that recycles used bedding textiles into beautiful, functional, and durable home goods and craft supplies in the local circular economy.
Refugee Artisan Initiative is an organization that works to provide support, community, and opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers through the power of art in Seattle.
Restaurant 2 Garden aims to reduce food waste and promote urban agriculture by converting restaurant food waste into nutrient-rich compost for community gardens and urban farms.
RPM eco is a company that offers integration management system for recyclables. They are developing a system to collect empty HDPE lubricant containers and recycle them into high-quality resins.
SAGE Conservation is a company that specializes in providing sustainable solutions for residential buildings offering a range of services to help homeowners reduce their environmental impact and improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
Seattle T4T Clothing Swap is a non-profit organization based in Seattle that provides secure storage space and materials for people who identify as trans, nonbinary, and gender diverse to access gender-affirming clothing.
Simonpietri Enterprises has been leading the way in brining renewable fuels to aviation, defense, transportation fleets, and other industries.
Sledge Seattle has expertise in deconstruction and demolition services for commercial buildings and residential properties, ensuring materials are reused or recycled in an environmentally friendly way.
The South King Tool Library is a non-profit organization that offers a range of tools and equipment for borrowing to individuals, organizations, and community groups.