Accelerator Gives Founders a Leg Up

At the Berkshire Innovation Center, we launched our accelerator program with a simple idea: innovation doesn't need a zip code to succeed.  The Berkshires have long been home to manufacturers, engineers, and creative thinkers—what’s often been missing is a clear on-ramp for early-stage companies with technical products to grow, prototype, and prepare for market.

That gap was our starting point. We launched the Stage 2 Accelerator Program (S2A) in 2022 to provide targeted support to startups that had working prototypes, strong technical teams, and a need for resources. The program is not about chasing unicorns—it’s about helping smart, mission-driven founders take the next step.

One of those founders is Jared Lebos, co-founder of Noble Carbon, whose journey to Pittsfield exemplifies the type of entrepreneur this region can attract—and support.

Jared’s story begins in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was raised amid the complexities of a post-apartheid economy. He studied finance, worked in investment banking, and eventually pursued an MBA at the Wharton School. But behind the spreadsheets and M&A deals was someone who had always been fascinated by engineering.

One of his first projects—developed to address South Africa’s rolling blackouts—involved creating a relay-based system to automate power distribution during outages. It wasn’t a product yet, but it planted the seed.

That seed took root when Jared met his co-founder Andrew Crane in Philadelphia. The two began working on smart circuit breaker technology that could give users real-time insights into their energy consumption. Their goal was to reduce energy waste in homes and small businesses, while helping users cut costs and carbon emissions. It’s a clean tech solution rooted in accessibility and practicality.

They named the company Noble Carbon.

When Jared and Andrew relocated to Pittsfield to join our accelerator, it wasn’t because they needed a trendy launchpad. It was because they needed tools: access to advanced prototyping equipment, engineering support, and a manufacturing-minded network. That’s what the BIC was built to provide.

Our S2A program offers a small cohort of companies equity-free funding, technical and business mentorship, and access to our fabrication labs and design support team. But more importantly, it offers a community of peers, partners, and manufacturers committed to building together.

Startups like Noble Carbon often operate in the space between innovation and infrastructure. They’re not just writing software—they’re creating physical systems that need to be tested, piloted, iterated, and trusted. That kind of work benefits from proximity to experienced engineers, machinists, supply chain experts, and real-world users. That’s what we offer in the Berkshires.

Since joining the accelerator, Noble Carbon has prepared to scale its smart breaker technology to over 250 pilot sites across the Northeast. But that success didn’t happen overnight. It involved product refinements, customer conversations, field testing, and lots of rethinking.

What stands out about Jared is not just his technical skill, but his ability to translate lived experience—growing up in a country with fragile power systems—into practical, scalable design. His perspective on energy management isn’t just theoretical; it’s personal. That clarity of purpose has served the company well.

It also reminds us that the next generation of climate tech founders isn’t confined to coastal hubs. They’re building all over—and many of them are looking for ecosystems that can support hard tech innovation without the noise.

At the BIC, our mission has always been to serve as a catalyst for technology-enabled companies and startups. But we also see ourselves as part of a larger statewide and national effort to ensure that the innovation economy reaches rural and post-industrial communities.

Massachusetts has made significant commitments to climate technology and advanced manufacturing. Our job is to make sure the benefits of that investment reach places like Pittsfield and North Adams—not just Boston and Cambridge.

That’s why the accelerator focuses on industries with both economic and social relevance: clean energy, precision manufacturing, life sciences, and robotics. These are sectors that can grow in our region and provide good jobs while addressing real-world challenges.

Jared often talks about the importance of community—about how one of the most meaningful moments in his partnership with Andrew came not during a product breakthrough, but when Andrew drove him to Washington, D.C. during the pandemic so he could catch a repatriation flight home to South Africa. That act of support, Jared says, confirmed that they were building something rooted not just in innovation, but in integrity.

That ethos mirrors what we try to build at the BIC.  Our program is not transactional; it’s relational. We want to work with founders who are building for the long haul—who see their companies as part of a larger system of people, places, and purpose.

As we prepare to welcome our next accelerator cohort, I find myself thinking about founders like Jared and companies like Noble Carbon. They remind us that innovation is not about spectacle. It’s about listening to problems, engineering thoughtful solutions, and surrounding yourself with the right partners.

In Western Massachusetts, we may not have the density of a major tech hub. But we have depth. We have space to think, tools to build, and people willing to help. That’s enough to launch real companies—and in many cases, better ones.

We are actively looking for founders to support in our next cohort, which starts this Fall.  If you want to learn more or know anyone that is interested, please visit www.berkshireinnovationcenter.com to explore and apply.   To hear Jared’s story in full, listen to the “My Story Vault” podcast Episode #8, in which Jared sits down with Dr. Dennis Rebelo – available wherever you get your podcasts