If you have been thinking about building something in clean tech but are unsure where to start, this is your entry point. The SMUD Clean Tech AI Startup Accelerator is not about theory. It is about taking an idea, validating it with real customers, and turning it into something people actually want to use.

Applications are now open for an 8-week, in-person program designed to help founders move from concept to a working, demonstrable solution grounded in real-world energy challenges.

Who Is Leading the Program?

The accelerator is put on by HUMANBULB, a Sacramento-based nonprofit innovation ecosystem builder focused on expanding access to technology, entrepreneurship, and future-of-work opportunities.

HUMANBULB creates hands-on programs that connect STEM education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship. Through accelerators, incubators, tech education, and ecosystem events, HUMANBULB helps more people explore emerging technologies, build practical skills, and access the networks needed to participate in Sacramento’s growing innovation economy.

Who This Program Is Built For

This accelerator is designed for people who are ready to take action.

You are a strong fit if you are an early stage founder, aspiring entrepreneur, technical builder, domain expert, or community-rooted problem solver who sees energy waste and electrification challenges firsthand.

You do not need prior clean tech experience. What matters is your willingness to talk to customers, test assumptions, complete weekly deliverables, and build something that solves a real problem.

What You Will Actually Build

This is not a pitch deck program. You will leave with a working prototype and real validation.

The program focuses on AI-enabled solutions that address energy use, efficiency, and electrification challenges. This includes areas like reducing energy waste in multifamily housing, improving building operations, supporting electrification decisions, optimizing EV charging, and creating tools that help people act on energy data.

Every idea is grounded in real use cases where there is clear friction, inefficiency, or opportunity. Learn more and apply here. 

How the 8-Week Accelerator Works

The structure is designed to push you forward every week with clear deliverables.

You will identify a real customer and problem, conduct interviews to gather evidence, narrow down to one use case worth building, define your MVP scope, build a working prototype using AI-assisted tools, test it with real feedback, and package your work into a proof and traction plan.

By the end, you are not guessing. You have data, direction, and a product you can show.

What You Walk Away With

This program is outcome-driven.

You will leave with a validated problem backed by customer conversations, a clear product direction, a focused MVP scope, a demonstratable prototype, a proof package for pilots and partnerships, and a 30, 60, and 90 day plan to keep moving forward.

This is the difference between having an idea and having something real.

The Product Validation Showcase

At the end of the program, teams will present their work at a public Product Validation Showcase.

Participants will pitch their solution, demo the product live, receive structured feedback, and make specific asks for pilots, partners, users, and next steps. SMUD staff and regional ecosystem leaders will be invited as judges and audience members.

This showcase gives founders a chance to turn their work into real conversations and potential opportunities.

Apply and Start Building

If you have been waiting for the right moment to start, this is it.

Applications are now open. The program runs from June 15 through August 8. Deadline to apply is June 1.

You do not need everything figured out. You need a starting point and the willingness to do the work. Apply here today and start your clean tech journey. 

Wrap Up

The SMUD Clean Tech AI Startup Accelerator is built for people who want to move from idea to execution with real structure and support. Led by HUMANBULB, the program connects customer validation, AI-assisted prototyping, clean tech innovation, and entrepreneurship in one focused 8-week experience.

If you are serious about building something that solves real problems, this program gives you the framework to do it right.

Apply now and start building something that matters.

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