Google launched a new startup accelerator focused on transitioning the globe toward a circular economy model of materials and resource management.

The traditional linear economic model "has led to a great deal of progress for humanity in a short time, [but] it has also created environmental harm, injustice, and disparities — particularly for lower-income and under-resourced communities that are located near industrial areas where pollution is more prevalent," Mike Werner, Google's global sustainability team lead for circular economy, explained in a blog.

Creating a circular economy – keeping raw materials in use at the highest quality for as long as possible to decouple resource consumption from enterprise growth – will be safer and more equitable for everyone. But this calls for a total rebuild of the relationships between physical resources and the way they're processed, used, and recycled, he explained. "We want to support efforts to create a circular economy and build a sustainable future without waste," Werner said.

The accelerator will offer 10 weeks of virtual programming to startups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) using technology to solve circularity challenges relating to reuse, refill, recycling, composting, fashion, food, the built environment, and circular materials.

"We are looking for Seed to Series A tech startups and NGOs that are solving meaningful circular economy problems in North America and Asia Pacific. These organizations should have established or are showing early signs of product market fit or solving a circularity problem at scale," Estee Cheng, who leads Google's technical services sustainability team and helped create the accelerator, told SDxCentral.

Participating organizations will gain access to experts from both Google and the broader waste management and circular economy industry ecosystems. "Our hope is that the accelerator will be a launchpad to aid these organizations building waste management and circular economy solutions by connecting them to relevant experts and resources," Cheng said. Organizations will also be assigned a "success manager" for dedicated support specific to each startup.

Startups and NGOs won't receive direct funding from the cloud giant but "equity-free support," along with up to $200,000 of cloud credits. They'll also get a chance to be featured on Google channels and connect with investors and donors during the program's Demo Day. And after graduation from the accelerator, "the cohort will be part of Google’s global alumni network," Cheng explained.

She added that the goal of the accelerator is not for Google to use the tech developed by participating organizations, though "it would be fantastic if this was an outcome! To pursue a circular economy, we need to work together to find new solutions and improvements to existing systems. While these startups are in very early stages, we would be thrilled if some solutions could be used in partnership with Google down the road," Cheng said.

Photo credit: Estee Cheng, Google's technical services sustainability team lead. Source: Estee Cheng