BIC Presents: Innovating Across State Lines

In this episode, PJ Moynihan welcomes Steve Bravo, Director of Commercialization at New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and Leslie Nash, Interim Managing Director of Emerging Climatetech at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), for a conversation about climate innovation across New York and Massachusetts. Steve describes how NYSERDA supports energy innovation through research, development, commercialization programs, accelerators, mentorship, and connections to venture and corporate capital.  Leslie explains how MassCEC helps researchers and startups move from lab-stage ideas to prototypes, demonstrations, and deployment through grants, investments, and ecosystem partnerships.  Together, they discuss shared priorities including clean energy market growth, startup support, economic development, and building a more affordable, reliable, and decarbonized grid. A major theme of the episode is the value of collaboration across state lines. Steve and Leslie describe how their teams regularly share lessons learned, compare program design, and help connect companies to new pilots and markets. They point to opportunities in building efficiency and the built environment, especially in older housing stock across the Northeast, and discuss examples like Runwise and Massachusetts-based Imbue as companies addressing those challenges.  The conversation also reinforces BIC’s role as a convening space in the Berkshires, positioned as a midpoint in a broader regional innovation corridor stretching from western New York to Boston/Cambridge. Links NYSERDA: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov NYSERDA Commercialization Program: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Innovation-at-NYSERDA/Commercialization-Program Massachusetts Clean Energy Center: https://www.masscec.com MassCEC Emerging Climatetech: https://www.masscec.com/emerging-climatetech Berkshire Innovation Center: https://www.berkshireinnovationcenter.com/ Massachusetts Business Front Door: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/business-front-door