Clean Energy Founder-in-Residence Program Design

We are looking to create a structured, scalable Founder-in-Residence (FIR) program model within the ACORE Accelerate program that can be implemented immediately and refined over time.

Specifically, we are seeking support to develop:

FIR Program Structure: Clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and expectations, including time commitment (~4–5 hours/month), scope of engagement, and differentiation between core FIRs and broader contributors
Engagement & Matching Model: A framework for matching FIRs with founders, including session cadence, engagement boundaries, and guidance to ensure high-quality, targeted support
Operating Playbook: Practical materials to support implementation, including an FIR onboarding guide, advisory session structure, and internal guidance for managing the program
Partner Engagement Framework (light): A simple process for engaging partner organizations (e.g., founder networks) to source and nominate potential FIRs

We have already developed a high-level concept and have begun identifying prospective FIR candidates through existing relationships and our alum base. This project will help translate that concept into a clear, repeatable model that can be scaled across future cohorts.

This project directly supports our mission to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy by helping high-potential companies scale.

Through Accelerate, we support revenue-generating clean energy founders who face barriers to growth—particularly access to capital, customers, and strategic partnerships. The Founder-in-Residence (FIR) model is designed to address this by connecting them with experienced operators who have navigated similar challenges.

By helping us design a structured FIR program, this project will expand access to critical networks and insights—especially for founders from underrepresented communities—and enable more companies to move from early deployment to scale.

The impact is both immediate and systemic: stronger companies, faster deployment of clean energy solutions, and more equitable access to economic opportunity. Volunteers will help build a program that directly supports founders in scaling their businesses and delivering real-world climate impact.

We are building on a strong foundation through our market access platform, ACORE Accelerate, which has supported 60+ early-to-growth stage clean energy companies across 20+ states and consistently connects underrepresented founders to capital, customers, and strategic partners. This track record gives us a clear view of where founders face the greatest barriers to scaling.

The FIR model is a direct extension of this work, and the concept is already defined at a high level, including role expectations, time commitment (~4–5 hours/month), and how FIRs will support commercialization and capital formation.

We have leadership buy-in, draft materials, and an existing program structure that this will plug into, along with dedicated staff capacity to manage and implement the program. We are also advancing a fundraising strategy to support this next phase.

The Taproot project will directly inform a near-term pilot. We plan to onboard a small group of FIRs within the next 3–6 months, and the deliverables will be applied immediately to support the launch and ensure the model is sustainable and scalable as we recruit founders annually.

Our team is prepared to engage actively, provide timely feedback, and implement recommendations in real time.