The Partner in Crime Climate Accelerator

Investing and accelerating companies that move the world forward!
Investment / Advisor Portfolio
EExion EV Battery Startup
Assure SPV Fund Administration and Management
Public Goods DTC Startup
Tesseract Space satellite startup
Applied Bioplastics

About "The Program"

This isn’t your “typical accelerator.”

I’m not here to give generic advice.

We aren’t taking cohorts of 10-50+ companies.

Average and ordinary doesn’t cut it here.

Welcome to a new type of venture acceleration – “The Partner in Crime Program” where we’re here as your hands-on, hardcore hustler/partner in crime, ready to share EVERYTHING we’ve learned when it comes to building & scaling startups, strategy & growth hacking, fundraising, networking and major intros to unlock pilots, customers, investment, grants and more…

Plus of course, we’ll feature you on The Startup Tank 🙂

Powering your Growth

Our main goal with this program is to help you make SERIOUS progress, not just perfecting your pretty pitch deck. And that means growth: it means getting traction, customers, revenue etc… so you can raise your round – or even grow to profitability without needing VC.

That’s why we focus first on business models & growth. Because if you have a business that’s WORKING, raising money is a cakewalk. And that’s my goal for you… That you leave this “program” with pilots, customers and revenue to push forward with the business.

Hence why we’ll be providing you with all the best resources, guides and proven growth hacking strategies and outreach templates (tailored to YOUR business) to help you land 2-5+ landmark clients and/or pilots, build your pipeline and power your growth.

Plus intros to dozens to hundreds of awesome prospective customers 🙂

Because adding 2-5+ big name corporate customers or pilots is the goal of our intense 10 week program.

Raising your REAL Round

We both know the reason you’re considering an accelerator isn’t only business development and sales (although we can/will help MASSIVELY with that and open up my personal network to you), it’s funding and runway. You need cash to keep your business going and growing and scale out your team & ops.

Hence why Part 2: of “The Program” is an immersive deep dive into fundraising, decks and pitching investors. But while “demo day” is the main event, what % of climate companies raise their round right after XYZ accelerator?

From what we’ve seen, the number’s pretty low – even from “bluechip” accelerators. That’s why we shake things up with dozens of warm intros to top investors in our network, features on The Startup Tank and templates and resources to power your investor outreach and raise your round faster.

BONUS: After your “demo day,” 4WARD.VC’s climate syndicate members will have the opportunity to invest into the company as well at whatever terms your lead investor sets.

Additional Grant Funding Firepower

While governments offer BILLIONS in grant funding, knowing about & accessing said grant programs is a nightmare – think hundreds of hours wading through government sites and incentive programs. That’s why we’re here to help, with an entire personalized module and consultation to help you unlock non-dilutive funding to build & scale your climate solution.

Because you shouldn’t have to waste tens of millions in R&D to build your world saving climate tech.

The 10 Week Program

It’s busy. It’s FULL of homework, action items and resources for you. It’s brutal one-on-one strategy/update calls every other week.

Are you sure you’re up to it?

We only take 1-2 new startups per month – only WINNERS, only ones we truly believe we can help. And we give 150% because we’re obsessed with helping great climate companies change the world.

Week 1:

  • Program onboarding
  • Growth strategy & product focus
  • Climate Tech networking

Week 2:

  • Systematic biz dev outreach (Email + Linkedin with provided templates)
  • Strategic corporate intros
  • Personal legal consultation with our legal counsel on DD and IP issues

Week 3:

  • Continued outreach/biz dev
  • All Things VC Funding: Pitching & Pitch Decks
  • Personalized grant strategy session

Week 4:

  • Building your fundraising strategy
  • Identifying target VCs
  • Preparing investor outreach (with provided templates & tricks)

Week 5:

  • Continued business development push
  • Closing 1st new pilots / customers?
  • Building your Financial Growth Models with our Fractional CFO

Week 6:

  • Perfecting your Deck
  • Practicing your Pitch

Week 7:

  • Systematic investor outreach
  • Strategic intros to at least 20-50+ Climate VCs
  • Pitch Deck Power Up with our in-house designers

Week 8:

Week 9:

  • Continued fundraising
  • Post-fundraise strategy and KPIs to hit
  • More introductions to partners, investors & clients
  • Pitching 4WARD.VC‘s Syndicate for additional funding

Week 10:

  • Hopefully getting several terms sheets and/or in Due Diligence with investors

The Terms

For Seed companies (have a product and raised > $500k): $100k SAFE for 5%

For Pre-Seed companies (raised < $500k): $50k SAFE for 5% 

Plus, ​​4WARD.VC’s syndicate will have the chance to add $100-200k to your round if they choose to participate and you want us in the round 🙂

Why 4WARD.VC?

Because NO ONE works harder or smarter for their companies, no one’s better connected in the climate space and NO ONE wants it more.

We spent the last year building 4WARD.VC up to 190+ LPs and one of the leaders in the climate tech space, launching The Startup Tank into the top climate startup pitch show, connecting with 1000+ climate funds, incubators, accelerators, corporates & CVCs, networking with 3-5k other investors & players in the space – all while being paid ESSENTIALLY nothing other than advisor shares etc…

And we/I did it with one goal in mind: to become the most connected and helpful player in the climate tech space and make everyone else win. Hence why we shared 100s of top companies with fellow investors, built climate VC and climate founder slack communities total 1600+ members and shared our Climate VC database (the result of brute force outreach & networking).

Add to that Matt’s background as a serial entrepreneur with multiple modest ecommerce & media exits and the 100s (probably 1000s depending on how you count) of startups and businesses he’s coached on strategy, growth hacking, product and fundraising, and you can see why EVERYTHING  done has culminated in this “program.”

So, are you ready to become Partners in Crime? Apply now if you’re ready for some intense rocket fuel and aren’t afraid to give 110%.

If you’re a good fit, I’ll let you know and let’s get to work.

Dozens of Corporates & Universities We Work With

For Pilots, Partnerships and Your Sales Pipeline

Porsche

Honda

Lufthansa

Columbia University

Johnson Matthey

HSBC

Barclays

University of Michigan

Bosch

Caravel Group

Philip Morris

Shell

Yara

Stihl

Syngenta

EDP

Unilever

DSG

Vinmar

Arizona State University

Department of Energy (DOE)

Bayer

Raffeisenbank

SCG Chemicals

Texas A&M

National Grid

Maersk

Siemens

Louis Dreyfus

Heritage Group

Octopus Energy

Franz Haniel

Fidelity

Citi Group

Doehler

BMW

Google

Georgia Tech

McKinsey

Finless Foods

Deloitte

Impact Hub

VISA

Breakthrough Energy

Accenture

First Republic Bank

Deutsche Energie-Agentur

PwC

Octopus Energy

Liminal

KIMPA

AMAG Group

Vegpreneur

A Sample of Our 170+ A Team Advisors & Mentors

A Massively Connected Network
https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Elie-Goldfarb-Lufthanse-640x640.jpeg

Elie Goldfarb

Ventures: Lufthansa Innovation Hub

Travel, Aerospace, Transportation

Huw Thomas - Carbon13

Huw Thomas

ex-Managing Director: Carbon13

Alternative Proteins, Renewable Energy, Deeptech

Stanley Ng - New Energy Nexus

Stanley Ng

Program Director: New Energy Nexus, SE Asia Lead: Third Derivative

Energy & Cleantech, SE Asia Markets

https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Nadav-Steinmetz-320x320.jpeg

Nadav Steinmetz

General Partner: Nomea VC

Batteries, Material Science, Climate Adaptation

Julien Fredonie - Honda ri.de

Julien Fredonie

Head of Partnerships: Honda Research Institute Europe

Mobility, Automotive, Energy, Transit

Parikshit Sharma - IndieBio

Parikshit Sharma

Partner: IndieBio, SOSV

Biotech, Foodtech, Agtech

Andreas Strasser - Kompas VC

Andreas Strasser

Partner: Kompas VC

Proptech, Construction Tech, Built World

Niels Schneider - CDL

Niels Schneider

Climate Lead, Venture Manager: CDL – Oxford

Ecosystem, Policy, University & Corporate Connections

Marion Bazille - Big Idea Ventures

Marion Bazille

Program Manager: Big Idea Ventures

Foodtech, Alt Proteins, Fermentation

Daniel Kriozere

Daniel Kriozere

Partner: Climate Capital

Deeptech, Cleantech

The Dream Team Continued…

Because Expertise and Opened Doors are Everything!
Ryan Kushner - Third Derivative

Ryan Kushner

Sustainable Food Lead: MassChallenge Switzerland

Food & Ag, Biotech, CPG

Guneet Banga - Caravel Group and Aera VC

Guneet Banga

Exec Director: Caravel Holdings
General Partner: Aera VC

Martime, Shipping & Logistics, Clean Energy

George Church

Dr. George Church

Lead: Human Genome Project

Prof: Harvard & MIT

Synthetic Biology, Biotech,  University Commercialization

Clarisse Lam - Fintech Investor at NewAlpha

Clarisse Lam

Fintech Investor: NewAlpha

Fintech, Insurtech, Climate Finance

Marvin Liao - 500 Startups

Marvin Liao

Partner: Diaspora Ventures
ex Partner & Lead: 500 Starups

Fintech, Mobile, SaaS, IoT

Corinne Gray - Unreasonable Group

Corinne Gray

Portfolio Director: Unreasonable Group

Impact Reporting, LP Management, Diversity & Inclusion

William Bao Bean - SOSV and Orbit Startups

William Bao Bean

Founding Partner: SOSV & Orbit Startups

Mobile, Developing Markets

Pete de Mare

Pete de Mare

Green Real Estate Developer
ex-U.S. Green Building Council

Real Estate, Construction, Green Infrastructure, Govt Relations

Stav Erez - OurCrowd, Labs02

Stav Erez

Partner: Labs/02, OurCrowd

Business Development, Israeli Innovation Ecosystem

Dimitry Gershensen - Enduring Planet

Dimitry Gershensen

Founder & CEO: Enduring Planet

Finance, Banking, Energy

But Wait, There’s More!

Because Great People Have Great Networks!
Helen Lin - At One Ventures

Helen Lin

Partner: At One Ventures

Climate Deeptech

Ryan Jeffrey - gener8tor

Ryan Jeffrey

Senior Managing Director: gener8tor

Sustainability, Growth, Corporate Relations

Ben Storey - Lead at Barclays - Eagle Labs

Benjamin Storey

Head of Eagle Labs: Barclays

Finance, Banking, Fintech, Climate Risk

Arjun Arya - PMI

Arjun Arya

Senior Zero Carbon Engineer: Philip Morris International

Energy, Decarbonization, Hydrogen, Circularity

Olga Bratsun - Tech2Impact

Olga Bratsun

Head of Accelerator: Tech2Impact

Climate Ecosystem, Community, Broad Climate Tech

Liliya Chechel - Shell Ventures

Liliya Chechel

Investor: Shell Ventures

Oil & Gas, Energy, Infrastructure

Yoann Berno - General Partner at Climentum Capital

Yoann Berno

General Partner: Climentum Capital

Materials, Energy, Transit

Robert Martin - Porsche Ventures

Robert Martin

Investor: Porsche Ventures

Automotive, Energy, E-Fuels, Mobility

Rocco van der Berg - Unilever

Rocco van der Berg

Innovation Lead: Unilever Foundry

Food and Ag, Personal Care, CPG, Supply Chains

Jim Lockheed - JetBlue Ventures

Jim Lockheed

Investor: JetBlue Ventures

Aerospace, Transportation, Space

Our Web of Networked Growth Hacking

Connecting Industry to Innovation!
Jean Gabriel Tarnaud - Dohler Ventures

Jean-Gabriel Tarnaud

Investor: Döhler Ventures

Food & Beverage, Foodtech, Biotech

https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tina-Tosukhowong-TDK-Ventures-320x320.jpeg

Tina Tosukhowong

Investment Director: TDK Ventures

Advanced Materials & Biomaterials

https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Roel-Laban-DSG-320x320.jpeg

Roel Laban

Sustainability Program Manager: DSG

Building & Construction Materials, Waste Mgmt

https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Jurg-Stuker-Kickstart-Innovation-Accelerator-320x320.jpeg

Jürg Stuker

Partner: Kickstart Innovation

Acceleration, Corporates, Partnerships

https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Kristin-Rickert-Johnson-Mathey-320x320.jpeg

Kristin Rickert

Innovation Portfolio Director at Johnson Matthey

Energy, Chemicals, E-Fuels, Fuel Cells, Transportation

https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Laurent-Guengant-Hitachi.jpeg

Laurent Guengant

Global VP of Environmental Div: Hitachi

Renewables, Mobility, Manufacturing

Alexander Koberlein - Stihl Ventures

Alexander Koberlein

Investor: Stihl Digital

Forestry, Construction, Agtech

Björn Heinz - Yara Growth Ventures

Björn Heinz

Investment Director: Yara Growth

Foodtech, Agtech, Biotech

Alexander Seel - Verve Ventures

Alexander Seel

GM: Constructive Venture Fund: Verve Ventures

Construction, Proptech, Materials, Built World

https://4ward.vc/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Erik-Mostenicky-Fidelity-320x320.jpeg

Erik Mostenicky

Innovation: Fidelity Strategic Ventures

Fintech, Insurtech, Finance, Banking

Of all the people I have worked with so far, Matt’s been the most active and helpful in terms of introductions. He has made tons of great intros to relevant potential investors and collaborators, and I am extremely happy we are working together. He is also very communicative and a great partner to think with and bring ideas to communication and messages
Yehuda BorensteinCEO of Climate Crop
4WARD.VC invested in EExion's seed round and has been instrumental from day one in helping us connect to great investors, prospective clients and strategic partners. Can't recommend Matt/4WARD.VC enough - their network & hustle is incredibly valuable.
Dror SoferCEO of EExion
Matt and his connections within ClimateTech have been super helpful over the past few months. He helped us tremendously in closing our first financing round!
Rene HaasCEO of NeoCarbon
I have been working with Matt for the past few months, he is very dynamic, well-connected, and resourceful. More important (at least for me), Matt is smart and thinks broadband regarding the market, the market approach, and in general. I interact with Matt periodically and get his ideas, feedback, guidance, and insights as to how to approach various matters, mostly focused on funding, but also as a “second opinion” in general about running the startup – for me, it is very helpful.
Rafi LeviCEO of DOTS
We’ve enjoyed every aspect of our collaboration with 4WARD.VC and Matt. From the first day, Matt has opened his network to us and helped us make valuable connections in the climate ecosystem
Nicolas WeberCEO of Voltiris
4WARD.VC, led by Matt Ward, has been our super connector in more ways than one. I'm excited for our growing partnership with 4WARD.VC's team to scale the business, create value for our investors and accelerate our positive climate impact.
Greg LaptevskyCEO of Myro
Matt has been an incredible supporter of our company and took a genuine personal interest in the growth of our product and customer base. His expertise in growth hacking has been instrumental in developing creative GTM strategies and acquiring more users. He is pleasant to work with, responsive, and fits really well into our team of doers.
Vlad CazacuCEO of Flowlie
We worked with Matt for our seed round and couldn't be happier. He was incredibly valuable to develop our pitch deck into something that really wows investors and a massive help practicing our pitch. We highly recommend working with Matt if you're looking to fundraise, save time and win investors.
Cosimo DonatiCEO of LEVA

Frequently Asked Questions

1
Does it cost anything?

Of course not!

Startups should NEVER pay to be part of accelerators or incubators

We give you cash, not the other way around 🙂

2
What is the advantage of 4WARD.VC vs a traditional accelerator?

If you read the details above and know Matt and 4WARD.VC, you already know the answer. You won’t be part of some nameless, faceless cohort – we’ll be down & dirty partners in crime, leveraging my network, systems and hustle to help you power your business forward.

It’ll be intense, but it will be worth it!

3
Are the terms negotiable?

No,

If I/we don’t bring 10-100x the value of a measly 5% of your company, we’re doing something wrong. Between clients, investors, grant funding and scaleable growth, we plan to 2-4x your valuation within 10 weeks – no scammy Google/FB ads to “fake” your J-curve growth necessary!

4
How much does the 4WARD.VC invest?

For seed stage companies, we invest $100k for 5%.

For pre-seed, we do $50k for 5%.

And after the program, we open the round to our syndicate as well which can add anywhere from $50-500k, depending on LP interest.

5
Can I pitch on The Startup Tank?

Of course!

You will get your chance once you’ve finished the program and are ready for primetime.

6
Will you help me with fundraising?

Next to helping you get 2-3 new clients and/or pilots during the program, helping you with fundraising is the point 🙂

Our goal’s to help you raise your round within 2-3 months of completing the program and we introduce you to 20-40 targeted investors (and CVCs) in our network to get you in the door and get great co-investors onboard.

7
Can you help me get grants?

Yes, we will definitely try. That’s part of the program as well, equipping you with the help, resources and programs you need to non-dilutively fund your company and drive your business.

8
Will 4WARD.VC invest in my REAL round?

Currently, we aren’t a fund…

But that may or may not be very likely to change… in which case, it only makes sense for an accelerator to invest in the round and do follow-on checks as well. Not that we are officially a fund or that we’re promising anything, but hopefully you catch my drift 🙂

9
Can I invest in the accelerator itself?

Currently, we aren’t a fund… But that may or may not be very likely to change.

If you are interested in learning more about our Partner in Crime Accelerator, please send me an email 🙂

Investors We Work Closely With
Launch Fund by Jason Calacanis
Draper Associates
At One Ventures
Peak Capital
Nomea VC
Future Energy Ventures
Pale Blue Dot
C3 Climate Capital
Climentum Capital
extantia net zero circle
Nucleus Capital
Ubermorgen Ventures
Pirate Impact VC
WiVenture Climate VC
UVC Partners
Capital Nature Israeli Cleantech VC
Buoyant Ventures
Zero Carbon Capital

Invest alongside us in top companies moving the world forward!

Our Incubator & Accelerator Partners
gener8tor - climate accelerator and VCgener8tor - climate accelerator and VC
carbon13 climate venture builder program
HAX hardware accelerator from SOSV
IndieBio biotech accelerator
labs:02 Israeli climate accelerator
techstars climate accelerator
Third Derivative Climate Accelerator
Greentown Labs climate incubator
Cleantech Open
Elemental Excelerator
Joules Accelerator