Technology giant Apple announced its first class of Black and Latino-owned businesses that will join its impact accelerator to support equity and opportunity in the environmental sector.
The impact accelerator program is part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative to help combat and break systemic barriers to opportunity. The 15 businesses come from all across America, including California, Detroit, and tribal nations in the Midwest. The businesses are driving innovation in green energy and efficiency, solar energy, green chemistry, recycling, and other environmental areas.
Many of the businesses also share a focus on bringing clean energy, opportunity, and vital services to underserved and vulnerable communities.
“We are thrilled to welcome our first Impact Accelerator class and look forward to seeing how these innovative businesses will expand their work to protect the planet and our communities,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, said in a release. “On our journey to our 2030 carbon-neutral goal for our supply chain and products, we’re determined to help create a greener and more equitable future for all people.
The businesses we’re partnering with today are poised to become tomorrow’s diverse and innovative industry leaders, creating ripples of change to help communities everywhere adapt to the urgent challenges posed by climate change.”The businesses selected for Apple’s program will receive customized training and access to Apple experts and an alumni community. Following the three-month virtual program, the companies will be considered for opportunities with Apple, including as suppliers to the tech giant.
The companies include Brooklyn-based BlocPower, which aims to make American cities greener, smarter, and healthier by turning aging, inefficient buildings into state-of-the-art structures. Mosaic Global Transportation
is a minority-owned, multimillion-dollar international ground transportation company. The firm, based in San Jose, aims to replace gasoline-operated vehicles used for these programs with electric vehicles.Volt Energy Utility, based in Washington D.C., develops, finances, and operates utility-scale solar projects for private and public clients. Gilbert Campbell III co-founded Volt Energy a decade ago with the clear intent to provide services and expertise to satisfy the increased demands for utility-scale solar energy.
GreenTek Solutions is a Houston-based company committed to repurposing, refurbishing, recycling, and reusing technology products and offering extensive IT asset services for buying, selling, and liquidating equipment.
Dunamis Clean Energy Partners is a technology, manufacturing, and engineering firm focused on energy efficiency and environmental service solutions. Dunamis is based in Southfield, Michigan, but has more than 120 employees spread throughout the state.
The other winners of Apple’s impact accelerator include Vericool, Inc., the Oceti Sakowin Power Authority, Diversified Chemical Technologies, Inc., Bench-Tek Solutions, VMX International, Argent Associates, Inspectorio, Group O, RFG-MPW Environmental & Facility Services, and L2S Engineering, LLC.