Bord na Móna have put a call out for Longford businessess to take part in sustainable business accelerator programmes Accelerate Green GROW and Accelerate Green START.
Companies interested in applying for the START programme have until September 19, while the closing date for the GROW programme is November 22.
The Accelerate Green programmes are delivered by Bord na Móna in conjunction with Resolve Partners to equip promising Irish business owners with the skills and knowledge to scale their companies in Ireland and beyond.
Bord na Móna is accepting applications from early-stage companies and innovative start-ups operating in the sustainability sector and looking to grow at pace, as well as established SMEs pivoting from their existing offering to more climate-focused solutions.
Accelerate Green GROW will commence in January 2025 and is suitable for early-stage enterprises and SMEs looking to scale. The successful applicants will be brought through a series of immersive learning sessions delivered by industry leaders, entrepreneurs, potential investors and successful Irish business representatives.
Accelerate Green START is a shorter programme, with a series of learning sessions beginning on October 10th. START was established as a sister programme to GROW, to support budding entrepreneurs and earlier-stage businesses in scaling their sustainable solutions.
START participants engage in modules across key areas including – customer discovery, market mapping, network development and preparation for investment pitching.
All Accelerate Green participants enjoy access to networking, mentoring and business development opportunities through engagement with experienced senior leaders across Bord na Móna’s businesses. The participants also gain insight into Bord na Móna’s corporate expertise and learnings as a business that has fully transitioned from Brown to Green – shifting from traditional peat harvesting to climate solutions and renewable energy development.
Since its launch in 2022, there are 42 businesses who have successfully completed the Accelerate Green programmes.
Many former participants have reported significant and sustainable progress in their companies since completing the programmes and the alumni have collectively raised €10 million in venture capital to date.
According to recent research among the Accelerate Green alumni, over 90% of past participants have more confidence in their ability as business leaders to scale their companies successfully. Additionally, 75% of past participants have grown their workforce since completing the programme and three in four have scaled their business operations in Ireland.
Previous participating business leaders have come from across Ireland and operate within a range of sustainable industries, including: Feighery’s Farm Beetroot Juice an Offaly-based business manufacturing organic beetroot juice; Weev from Belfast, Ireland’s leading privately owned EV charging network; Cavan’s I/O Agri, which is pioneering solutions for sustainable farming practices; and Limerick-based Hibra Design, a sustainable automotive design engineering company which is currently partnering with Bord na Móna on a pilot programme.
Commenting on the launch of the new Accelerate Green Programme, Bord na Móna Chief Executive Tom Donnellan said: “We are delighted to open applications for Accelerate Green 2025. Since we first launched Accelerate Green in 2022, we have seen 42 standout, green innovators successfully complete these programmes and continue to thrive in the climate solutions space, both in Ireland and further afield.
As a business that has undergone its own significant scaling journey and service evolution, transitioning from traditional peat harvesting to renewable energy and climate solutions, we are committed to sharing the invaluable insights we gained with the next generation of sustainable businesses.
Accelerate Green is a unique and unmissable opportunity for businesses looking to grow and scale in the sustainability sector and I encourage all to apply. I look forward to meeting the newest cohort of Start and Grow participants and to learning more about their unique climate solutions.”
Former Accelerate Green GROW participant, Hibra Design CEO Mike Keane said: “Accelerate Green was a fantastic opportunity to grow and scale our business – the programme covers a wide range of customer-focused topics in significant depth. Through Accelerate Green we learned ways to show customers how the sustainability value of our services can have a real, calculable, fiscal benefit for them and how to position Hibra Design to reach global customers.
Bord Na Mona’s transition to a climate solutions provider demonstrates the depth of their experience and the genuine intent behind this programme. We are delighted to now be working directly with Bord na Móna on the BETR pilot programme (Boglands Electric Tractor Reengineering) to electrify and reduce the carbon footprint of their tractor fleet which is being used to plant sphagnum moss across bogs as part of the Peatlands and People EU project.
I would recommend Accelerate Green to any sustainable business looking to scale, grow and thrive.”
