Urban-X, the accelerator program created through a partnership between the venture capital firm Urban US and BMW’s MINI, has announced its newest group of participating companies. This program focuses on investing in businesses that develop solutions for sustainable and resilient urban living.

This ninth group of companies is entering the market at a time when major investors are increasingly recognizing the importance of the core belief that Urban-X and its parent organization have championed for several years. Essentially, the changing climate necessitates the development of technological solutions to help people adapt to evolving environmental conditions.

“It’s rewarding to have invested in climatetech back in 2014 and see the current landscape in 2021,” states Stonly Baptiste Blue, co-founder of Urban US. “There’s a clear indication that startups focused on sustainability and climate change are experiencing unprecedented momentum.”

While Urban-X’s scope extends beyond climate and resilience, these areas are becoming increasingly central to investment decisions and are expected to deliver substantial returns in the coming years.

Baptiste-Blue explains, “We are looking at a climate market potentially worth hundreds of trillions of dollars. There is growing evidence suggesting we have entered a decisive decade for climate action.”

Looking ahead, Baptiste Blue believes there are still significant opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs to establish substantial new businesses.

“We are concentrating on a variety of areas related to the next phase of climatetech investment, including disaster risk management, outage monitoring, and fostering community connections to enhance resilience and communication as challenges intensify and disasters become more frequent,” says Baptiste Blue.  

Several of the companies participating in Urban-X’s latest cohort exemplify this focus. These include Domatic, which offers a system for centralized AC/DC power conversion for solar energy; OneRoof, which is developing a communication platform to support resilient communities; and Dorothy, a machine learning platform designed to improve disaster risk assessment.

According to internal documents reviewed by TechCrunch, the accelerator has achieved an internal rate of return (IRR) of approximately 29% to date.

The complete list of companies in the accelerator’s current cohort is as follows:

• Builders Patch: a data platform and marketplace focused on affordable and multifamily housing

• Domatic: a product that streamlines AC/DC conversion to facilitate a future powered by widespread solar energy utilizing DC power

• Dorothy: a machine learning platform that enhances disaster risk analysis at the property level

• OneRoof: a building-based communications platform designed to build resilient communities

• Oonee: a provider of secure bike parking and an e-commerce platform for micromobility services 

• Origen Hydrogen: a company developing affordable technology for green hydrogen production, targeting heavy-duty vehicles, industrial applications, and long-term backup power.

• Singularity: an AI-driven carbon intelligence and forecasting platform 

• Urbio: software that helps cities and utilities plan and implement the energy transition