Guest post by Amy Francetic, CEO of Clean Energy Trust, an AEE partner organization in Illinois.
Clean Energy Trust is a Chicago-based nonprofit that works to launch, fund and grow clean energy companies in the Midwest. In just three years, we have helped launch over 100 clean energy startups that have created more than 280 jobs, registered more than 41 patents and disclosures and turned $750,000 in initial investment into over $40 million in funds raised. We work every day with early stage clean energy entrepreneurs – providing funding, mentorship and commercialization assistance – so we know how important it is to foster a clean energy “ecosystem” that helps them thrive.