Founded in 2010 as the Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center, BRITE’s mission started as a great but necessary undertaking: supplying underserved entrepreneurs in the energy tech industry with access to guidance and advice from industry experts. With this mission in mind, BRITE worked from Downtown Warren to bolster Northeast Ohio’s Energy Storage Cluster (a collection of research cooperatives, manufacturers and businesses working on developments in energy storage) while supporting startups across the State of Ohio. Today, 10 years later, our mission is similar: empowering founders to launch energy technology solutions. So far, we’ve served over 300 businesses that have created over 500 jobs and attracted over $235 million in investment.
To this day, BRITE is Ohio’s only energy incubator and exists to support entrepreneurs and startup companies in this important business sector. But while our mission is regional, our reach is nationwide. We have attracted companies from Arizona, California, and Texas to the Mahoning Valley. These bright young minds bring innovative solutions to our community while creating new jobs and investment to ensure our children have a BRITE future right here, at home in the Valley.
These are exciting times in our region, and BRITE Energy Innovators is proud to play a part in what some are calling “Voltage Valley.” While the excitement surrounding the region and its increasing importance grows, so does the number of energy tech entrepreneurs needing support. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, BRITE relies on public and private funding to advance our mission. With your support, BRITE can continue building the innovation ecosystem to help solve tomorrow’s energy problems, today.
With the current pandemic-induced crisis, there has never been a better time for so many people to start businesses, meaning more entrepreneurs need our help than ever. The number of startups seeking BRITE’s entrepreneurial services quadrupled during the pandemic. This increased need for support is the reason we launched BRITE People – our annual campaign. As we continue on an upward journey, we want to give the community an opportunity to become an active part of our mission. Those joining BRITE People at any level will be kept up to date on our journey as we continue working to fulfill our mission and support entrepreneurship throughout the state.
In addition to our Annual Campaign, BRITE is continuing to seek support for our slate of events throughout 2021 alongside our Capital Investment opportunities. Your continued support will allow BRITE to help our energy and technology start-up companies develop innovative products, build their sustainable businesses here and bring their families to become part of our community. We hope you will share in this exciting time for growth with us.
