Teams selected for NextCycle Washington program

The NextCycle Washington business accelerator program has selected 13 entrepreneurs, nonprofits and small business teams from a field of applicants across Washington state. NextCycle Washington will provide the teams with consulting, technical, business and marketing support and help them connect with potential partners, suppliers and funders in a six-month program. After six months, the teams will compete in a pitch showcase for monetary awards.

The NextCycle program is funded by the Washington Department of Ecology, the Washington Recycling Market Development Center, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Over the last 25 years, Washington’s recycling rate has slipped while the amount of waste we produce per person keeps growing,” says Peter Lyon, head of the Washington Department of Ecology’s solid waste management program. “We need innovation and fresh ideas to improve recycling and reduce waste, and the NextCycle Washington program is helping us find those new approaches.”

RELATED: Accelerated solutions

The 13 teams selected provide a variety of products and services, including biochar and soil regeneration, sustainable diaper processing, compostable packaging solutions, solar panel recycling, recycling education programs and bottle return systems.

Click here to learn more about the selected applicants:

• Atlan LLC, White Salmon;
• Biomass Controls PBC, Woodstock, Connecticut;
• Corumat Inc., Yakima; 
• Electra Network LLC, Bellingham; 
• Furniture Repair Bank, Seattle;
• Making a Difference Foundation, Tacoma; 
• NaturallyContained, Seattle; 
• Reclaim Project Recovery, Spokane;
• Remakery, Tacoma; 
• Re-Use Consulting, Bellingham;
• Revino, Newberg, Oregon;
• Revolve Solar, Seattle; and
• Tribal Solid Waste Advisory Network, Tekoa.

This is the second year for the NextCycle Washington program. In its first year, the program supported 15 accelerator teams, provided 41 seed grants and helped raise more than $20 million in investor funds.

The Washington Department of Ecology says the program led to 70 new jobs and helped divert 4 million pounds of material away from landfills.