The Hartford partners with UC Berkeley’s Bakar Labs For Energy & Materials
The Hartford is teaming up with UC Berkeley’s Bakar Labs to support startup companies creating next-generation energy and materials technologies. As part of this partnership, the insurer will offer practical risk management advice, educational programs, and hands-on mentorship to help early-stage companies understand how their insurance needs will change as they grow from lab concepts into full commercial operations.
In addition, The Hartford will be the only insurance company joining UC Berkeley’s Launch Advisory Group. In this role, company leaders will work alongside experts across various industries to guide founders in a new business incubator program scheduled to open in 2028. The initiative will specifically target advanced energy systems and materials innovations, which are becoming increasingly vital to support rising electricity demands and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.
The partnership will be led by Y-Risk , a specialized unit within The Hartford that focuses on creating custom insurance solutions for emerging technologies and unconventional business models. By working directly with researchers and entrepreneurs at the ground level, The Hartford aims to deepen its understanding of novel risks. This early involvement will allow the insurer to develop better products for its customers while helping clean-tech founders manage uncertainty, secure investments, and build resilient businesses.
“The technologies that will power tomorrow’s economy are being developed today. Through our partnership with BL-EM, we have an opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators working on some of the most promising advancements in energy and materials science. The insights we gain will help us better understand emerging risks, develop new expertise and continue supporting customers operating at the forefront of innovation.” – Matt Scott, head of Innovation and Risk Services at The Hartford.
“Bringing together academic research, entrepreneurial innovation and industry expertise creates a stronger environment for emerging companies to succeed. The Hartford’s experience in risk management and insurance will provide valuable guidance to startups as they navigate the challenges of developing and scaling new technologies.” – Shilpi Kumar, director of partnerships at BL-EM.
Bottom Line: The Hartford is partnering with UC Berkeley to mentor clean-tech and AI-energy startups, offering them hands-on risk management advice as they scale up. In return, the insurer gets early insights into new technologies so it can design specialized coverage for emerging industries.
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