Senior program manager for the ClimateTech Incubator Terra Dunham, right, and Josh Fox, founder of Survue work at The Roux Institute on Friday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer A new business incubator in Portland is trying to help small technology startups take on a big problem: climate change. Northeastern University’s Roux Institute launched its ClimateTech Incubator this month, a shared space for environmentally-focused startups to collaborate and grow their businesses. Terra Dunham, senior program director for the incubator, said the goal is for these small companies “to become huge companies,” outgrow the incubator, add highly skilled jobs in Maine and ultimately boost the economy. The incubator currently houses 12 startups that deal with many facets of climate change, including, among others, energy storage and management, renewable energy, transportation, food and agriculture, carbon capture and climate financing. There’s Eli, a company designed to help people find, qualify and apply for electrification incentives like rebates; Edacious is a startup that measures and compares the nutritional quality of food to link agriculture, climate change and health; and SeaDeep uses AI-powered visual intelligence to map and monitor ocean environments to minimize the impact of offshore wind and other oceanic infrastructure. “We’re trying to grow the sector here in Maine,” Dunham said. “We wanted to make sure we saw all the opportunities in climate tech that could be successful here.” Advertisement Incubator members have access to desk and prototyping space, mentors, investors, and the Roux Institute’s background in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data visualization, data analysis, and materials science. Dunham hopes to see the incubator grow to 20 companies by the end of the year and expects it will grow even more once the program moves to the school’s new campus on the site of the old B&M Baked Beans Factory. The $500 million project […]