Universidad
Politécnica de Madrid

11.05.2026

The Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator has officially launched its 6th edition, marking another cohort of high-impact climate innovation. Led by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) in collaboration with Europe’s leading climate innovation agency, Climate KIC, the programme reinforces its mission to transform urban environments into climate-neutral ecosystems.

Fifteen startups have been selected to take part in a six-month business development journey. These ventures will gain unparalleled access to the European investment ecosystem, visibility at major international events, and strategic mentorship from top-tier experts in sustainability, business scaling, and digital transformation.

With this new cohort, the programme achieves a total of 115 startups supported since 2020, solidifying the accelerator as a key driver for clean tech and sustainable growth in Europe and beyond.

 A rigorous selection for maximum impact

A specialized jury of international investors, city halls and corporates conducted an exhaustive evaluation structured in different rounds. From more than 100 applicants from
30 European countries, only the top 15% were chosen based on their technological readiness, business scalability, and potential to mitigate climate change in cities.

Overall, the startup profiles show a functional prototype ready to work in a real operational environment, with a B2B business model and mainly focused on the green spaces, climate resilience, and urban systems topic.

The 2026 programme kicked off on May 7th starting the very first stage where they will have the chance to participate in tailored sessions of 1-to-1 meetings, speed networking, and expert-led masterclasses designed to prepare these startups for large-scale implementation and investment rounds.

Meet the 2026 Cohort

These 15 startups from 10 European countries were selected for their disruptive technologies and commitment to urban sustainability:

Alhomna Systems (France) develops solar-powered systems that transform urban waste (sludge, digestate) into valuable resources by removing water, reducing transport, energy use and CO₂ emissions while enabling circular resource recovery.

ATOM H2 (Spain) replaces diesel generators in critical infrastructure with their hybrid system, solar, batteries, and solid-state hydrogen (core technology), ensuring 24/7 energy, zero emissions, and up to a 70% reduction in operating expenses.

BBKW (Portugal) offers hybrid solar tech for the agrifood and pharma sectors. From algae and spirulina to aromatic herbs, fruits, and tobacco, their IoT-driven Black Block delivers premium quality with 80% less energy.

Chrysoptera (United Kingdom) provides an AI-powered platform that helps industrial and urban energy systems reduce emissions and energy waste in real time through predictive analytics, IoT monitoring, and automated carbon reporting.

Climasel (United Kingdom) develops cooling panels to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions through bio-based, form-stable phase change materials (PCM), delivering efficient and sustainable thermal regulations.

Eclekte (Spain) designs technical solutions for energy and housing, combining renewable technology, energy efficiency, and social development, and implementing social change towards a more democratic energy model.

Mugenio GmbH (Germany) builds the operating system for heat pump installations by standardizing planning and coordination to unlock installer capacity and scale clean heating across Europe.

OPALImpact (France) builds AI-powered platforms that combine climate, environmental and socio-economic data to help governments anticipate risks, plan smarter, and unlock climate-resilient investments.

Over Easy Solar (Norway) is revolutionizing the rooftop industry with lightweight, pre-assembled vertical panels. Designed for tool-free installation in minutes, they eliminate ballast and complexity to maximize clean energy on every roof.

RumiTech (Türkiye) develops compact hybrid solar-wind energy systems and smart energy infrastructure that enable cities, communities, and homes to generate clean electricity locally, reduce grid dependency, and support climate-neutral urban ecosystems.

SUSTAINABLE LAB SL (Spain) produces a natural, high-performance replacement for foamed plastic. Made from only two natural components, it biodegrades in just 30-45 days, enriching the soil at the end of its lifecycle.

Umibots (Spain) leads as a manufacturer of mobile robotics and autonomous solutions designed to transform cities and streets, optimizing efficiency and profitability in industrial, logistics, urban mobility and service sectors.

Vessel X (Malta) builds AI-powered autonomous surface vessels that clean marine pollution while collecting real-time environmental data. By combining robotics, computer vision, and smart navigation, it turns water surface cleanup.

WeavAir (Poland) is the digital nervous system for net-zero cities. By using IoT satellite data, it creates high-fidelity Digital Twins that optimize energy, monitor emissions, and bridge the ESG trust gap for sustainable urban infrastructure.

Watlas (Spain) builds urban regenerative infrastructure that transforms organic waste into measurable value, combining operations, data traceability and scalable systems to help cities and companies achieve climate neutrality.

A systemic approach to urban challenges

The Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator is supported by a robust network of partners. From the public sector, it counts on the collaboration of the City Halls of Madrid and Valencia, as well as the Zaragoza Ciudad del Conocimiento Foundation and the Center for Innovation in Circular Economy. Private sector support includes industry leaders such as Ferrovial, CREA Madrid Nuevo Norte, and Amadeus Nexwave, alongside specialized firms like Zubilabs and Vranded Haus.

About Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator is an acceleration programme launched in 2020 with the support of Climate KIC, aiming to impact climate change in urban areas and commercialize clean technologies (clean tech). The programme is aimed at start-ups developing solutions with a special emphasis on transforming urban ecosystems to be climate-neutral, from mobility to waste, energy, and health. The Clean Cities community already comprises more than 100 start-ups from over 30 countries.

About Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid is the leading Spanish technical university and consolidates its position among the top 100 universities worldwide in Engineering and Technology, according to the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject. The University is characterized by a strong commitment to the SDGs and is working towards a climate-neutral campus by 2040. The Entrepreneurship Unit aims to stimulate innovation within the technological ecosystem. To this end, it has created and developed an “open technological ecosystem” linked to the development of technology-based products and processes, resulting in the creation of 336 high-tech startups and the rising of over €250 million in recent years. Based on this premise, the University carries out activities that include entrepreneurship training and the incubation and acceleration of startups.

About Climate KIC

Climate KIC is Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community, creating climate-resilient communities and fighting climate breakdown by mobilising systems change in countries, regions, cities, and businesses. Together with partners across the globe, Climate KIC orchestrates solutions and facilitates learning to bridge the gap between climate commitments and current reality, driving faster and more ambitious action. Founded in 2010 upon the initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) (a body of the European Union), Climate KIC received funding and strategic guidance for over 15 years as an EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC). Today, as an independent foundation, Climate KIC continues to collaborate with EIT and other EU institutions, as well as intergovernmental organisations, UN agencies, national and regional governments, cities, civil society, academia and the private sector to boost climate innovation across Europe and beyond.

For more information: accelerator.climate@upm.es
Visit our website: https://cleancities-accelerator.com/