Amazon and Greentown Labs Launch Program to Accelerate Carbon Utilization
Amazon and the Global CO₂ Initiative are supporting an open-innovation program at the University of Michigan to accelerate collaborations with carbon capture and utilization startups.
Climate tech and energy incubator Greentown Labs announced the Greentown Go Build 2026 program. The program aims to speed development and implementation of advanced CO₂-mineralization technologies to decarbonize the built environment, both within Amazon's operations and the construction industry.
Amazon is investing in decarbonizing its global network of buildings—from fulfillment centers and offices to data centers and grocery stores—as part of its goal to reach net-zero carbon across operations by 2040. Its standardized approach focuses on five key areas: prioritizing carbon-free energy, increasing energy efficiency, using lower-carbon refrigerants, utilizing lower-carbon construction materials, and reducing on-site water use and waste.
"Advancing climate solutions requires the right combination of innovation, technical validation, and real-world implementation," said Kommy Weldemariam, Director of Science and Innovation Sustainability at Amazon, in a statement. "This collaboration brings together Amazon's operational expertise, Greentown's startup-acceleration resources, and the Global CO₂ Initiative's technical capabilities to create a pathway from identifying breakthrough technologies to deployment, supporting not only Amazon's Climate Pledge goal, but industry-wide decarbonization."
The selected startups will gain the opportunity to collaborate directly with decarbonization and material-circularity experts from Amazon's global team. The carbon utilization and sequestration researchers at GCI and Greentown's network of entrepreneur-focused resources will also support startups throughout the program.
"This collaboration is what Greentown is all about—bringing entrepreneurs, industry, and researchers together to turn climate ambition into action,” said Georgina Campbell Flatter, Greentown's CEO. “By uniting Amazon's scale with GCI's scientific depth, we can help innovators test, validate, and scale technologies that turn captured carbon into the next generation of cleaner, stronger, and more affordable materials for everyone."
Go Build 2026 is considering applications from startups with a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 and higher. While cohort participants will receive desk space at Greentown, they will also be offered access to entrepreneur-focused programming and networking events for the duration of the program, as well as a need-based stipend to support program participation.
Carbon capture startup projects are among many decarbonization works which took funding hits when the U.S. Department of Energy backed on more than $7 billion of previously approved loan commitments earlier this year.