Interview: Looking back at 2050 Accelerator
Our Managing Director Chloe Donovan reflects on her experience in the 2050 Accelerator program.
What was the 2050 Accelerator?
The 2050 Accelerator is a national sustainability program based in Ireland, and hosted by Dogpatch Labs designed to connect startups with industry leaders, government, and academia to accelerate the transition to net-zero. The program offers international startups access to Irelands sustainability infrastructure such as wind farms and forestry, funding, expertise, and pilot project opportunities. It aims to foster innovation in sectors like agriculture, energy, and forestry, and offers equity-free support, including stipends and perks, to help scale impactful climate solutions.
What initially attracted you to the programme?
The Accelerator aimed to connect startups with industry in Ireland to facilitate the transition to net zero. We were partnered with Coillte, Ireland’s national forestry semi-state, which makes the SmartPly OSB product we use in our system. It was actually Coillte who introduced us to the programme and suggested we apply, so that’s how we got involved.
How has taking part in the Accelerator impacted your business? Has it helped with growth in any specific areas?
Participating in the Accelerator gave us an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day and work ‘on’ rather than just ‘in’ the business, which was incredibly helpful. Connecting with an international community of sustainability-focused startups was inspiring and Dublin was a beautiful city to be able to visit and explore. The programme helped us with shaping our strategy, practicing communication, and storytelling, culminating in a showcase day where I pitched the business to the largest audience I’ve ever spoken to.
The programme enabled us, for the first time, to really think about we might grow into the EU through international partnerships and collaborations. This thinking has evolved into real projects, including some exciting collaborations with international academic and industry collaborations, initiated by conversations we had during the programme.
What were the most valuable lessons or insights you gained from the programme?
One of the most valuable lessons was learning not to take the "why" of your business for granted. When you're working in the day-to-day, you sometimes lose sight of that.
We also learned that in the context of exploring corporate collaborations it's really important ‘hook’ into the problem that you can help them solve. It was also eye-opening to see how large commodity manufacturers operate and to receive feedback on our product from their perspective.
It's important to understand that others might see your business differently, and tailoring your message to different stakeholders is critical - seeing how other startups did this was a great learning experience for us.
To be honest, engaging with large corporations and semi-state scale businesses was also a reminder of why I love working in a startup—the ability to move quickly, adapt, and pivot. Working alongside businesses from all over the world highlighted the potential for international collaboration, which we’ve really leaned into since the programme.
Do you want to talk about mentorship as well?
Sure. I think mentorship played a big role. We had mentors and programme leaders with similar backgrounds and interests who gave us constructive feedback on how to better tailor our message to our audience. That was invaluable and are people we’re hoping to keep in touch with.
The programme focused on collaboration. What was the value of networking and collaborating with other startups and innovators?
So much of it was about building connections. While it sometimes takes a while for things to materialise, we’ve had several interesting conversations and potential future collaborations arise from that networking. Being given a platform to speak to a large audience within the Irish tech and innovation ecosystem has created opportunities that we are continuing to explore.
What are the next steps after completing the Accelerator? How do you plan to leverage what you’ve learned?
We’re looking at exciting pilot projects and collaborations with Irish-based businesses and potential customers, which came directly from the programme. We’re also continuing to explore international partnerships and collaborations, a process that was kickstarted by this as well as the EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator. Additionally, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of our supply chain and the scale at which they operate, which is crucial as we look to scale our own business.
Where do you see the business going in the next five years, and has the Accelerator prepared you for that journey?
Our goal is to transition from direct manufacturing to collaborating with licensees and franchise partners. The Accelerator helped us differentiate our offering for different markets and think strategically about product development. In Ireland, we’re focused on residential housing and commercial partitions, which aligns well with their more progressive regulatory environment. Growing our business there makes sense, and this will be driven by partnerships and collaborations initiated through the programme.
Reflecting on your journey, how have you grown personally through this experience, both as an innovator and as a leader?
Looking back 12 months on, I think I gained more from the experience than I realised at the time. Working with multinationals and semi-state entities has taught me how to better engage at different levels and the importance of learning to take a step back and consider the bigger picture. I’ve also learned the importance of accepting constructive feedback, reflecting on it, and working out how to incorporate improved ideas into our strategy. It’s easy to feel defensive when your vision and values are being challenged, but this was always in the spirit of helping us better articulate these things and I’ve found that on reflection these revealed some valuable lessons – even if I didn’t see that in the moment.
Looking back over the past year, how would you describe your experience with the 2050 Accelerator?
The 2050 Accelerator was the first opportunity we had to really think about our business in the context of international collaboration and potential expansion. This became a theme we developed over the past year, and we’ve continued engaging with some of the businesses we met through the programme.
If you could go back and start the programme again, is there anything you’d do differently?
I would come with a more formed strategy. I came in with a bit of a blank slate, trying to keep an open mind, but I think having more defined thoughts and proposals in advance would have led to a better outcome. I’d also take more precautions so I didn’t end up catching covid and having to quarantine in a Dublin hotel room for a week!
That’s good advice. Is that what you’d share with future participants of the 2050 Accelerator?
Yes, I’d tell them to make the most of the opportunity, soak up as much as they can, but also to stay true to their own values. Someone else can’t tell you what your "why" should be—make sure you hold onto that.
You can see the video from the pitch here.
