Investments in BIPOC & Women-Owned Cleantech Startups | Constance Thompson of ACORE

The Green Light

How impactful can a renewable energy nonprofit membership program be when it comes to the triple bottom line – people, profit & planet? According to American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), over 75% of its 25 total women or BIPOC-owned cohort member companies have significantly grown their businesses as members of ACORE’s Accelerate Membership Program, a recipient last year of the groundbreaking Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with Constance Thompson, SVP of DEIJ at ACORE, about how companies like 548 Enterprise were able to receive funding from U.S. Bank as a result of their participation in ACORE’s program & why programs like this are key to building a more equitable, just & sustainable future for all.

They also spoke about Constance’s transition into the renewable energy sector, her advice for others looking to do the same, & ACORE’s recent report, ‘Opportunities to Diversify the U.S. Renewable Energy Manufacturing Supply Chain,’ that ACORE recently published with support from Amazon Web Services (AWS) & BW Research. Constance also spoke about her involvement with Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) & why she encourages more women to take on speaking engagements through WRISE’s Speaker Bureau.

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