Technology
CarParts.com Reports Second Quarter 2024 Results
Published
2 years agoon
By
TORRANCE, Calif., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CarParts.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTS), a leading eCommerce provider of automotive parts and accessories, and a premier destination for vehicle repair and maintenance needs, is reporting results for the second quarter ended June 29, 2024.
Second Quarter 2024 Summary vs. Year-Ago Quarter
Net sales decreased to $144.3 million, down 18% from the year-ago quarter.Gross profit of $48.4 million vs. $60.4 million, with gross margin of 33.5%.Net loss was ($8.7) million, or ($0.15) per share, compared to a net loss of ($0.7) million, or ($0.01) per share.Adjusted EBITDA of ($0.1) million vs. $6.3 million.Cash of $34.1 million and no revolver debt.Total cumulative mobile app downloads of 450,000, more than double the number from the beginning of the year.
Management Commentary
“Last quarter we discussed our emphasis on financial discipline and profitability by focusing on driving gross and net margins, accelerating efficiency and effectiveness to quickly deliver improved profitability; and achieving sustainable growth with strong long-term free cash flow.
In the second quarter, we made significant progress on gross margin and efficiencies, which reinforces our confidence that we’re on the right track. We are confident in our roadmap and our opportunity as a leading online retailer in a highly fragmented $400 billion automotive aftermarket market.
In the first half of the year, we updated our pricing and marketing acquisition strategies to target more profitable customers and generate higher gross margins. As a result, in the second quarter, we saw sequential margin improvement with product margins at 54.0%, up 210 bps from Q1. We expect Q3 to be sequentially higher.
We are forging on a path that we expect will result in achieving sustainable and significantly positive Adjusted EBITDA next year while working towards achieving a 6-8% Adjusted EBITDA margin and enhanced free cash flow generation in the medium term” said David Meniane, CEO.
Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Net sales in the second quarter of 2024 were $144.3 million, down 18% from the year-ago quarter. The decrease was primarily driven by deliberate price increases to drive gross margin expansion combined with softness in consumer demand.
Gross profit in the second quarter was $48.4 million compared to $60.4 million, with gross margin decreasing 70 basis points to 33.5%, but up sequentially from 32.4% in the first quarter of 2024. For fiscal year 2024, the Company is focused on driving gross margin expansion. This improvement was primarily driven by price increases and expanded branded gross margins, offset by higher year-over-year freight costs.
Total operating expenses in the second quarter were $57.1 million compared to $61.3 million in the year-ago quarter.
Net loss in the second quarter was ($8.7) million compared to a net loss of ($0.7) million in the year-ago quarter.
Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter was ($0.1) million compared to $6.3 million in the year-ago quarter.
On June 29, 2024, the Company had a cash balance of $34.1 million and no revolver debt, compared to no revolver debt and a $51.0 million cash balance at prior fiscal year-end December 30, 2023.
2024 Outlook
For the full year 2024, we are targeting net sales and gross profit to remain within the range we had previously forecasted. The Company expects net sales at the low end in the range of $600 million to $625 million and gross margin to be 33%, plus or minus 100 basis points.
Conference Call
CarParts.com CEO David Meniane, CFO Ryan Lockwood and COO Michael Huffaker will host a conference call today to discuss the results, followed by a question-and-answer period.
Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time)
Webcast: www.carparts.com/investor/news-events
To listen to the live call, please click the link above to access the webcast. A replay of the audio webcast will be archived on the Company’s website at www.carparts.com/investor.
About CarParts.com, Inc.
CarParts.com, Inc. is a technology-driven eCommerce company offering over 1 million high-quality automotive parts and accessories. Operating for over 25 years, CarParts.com has established itself as a premier destination for drivers seeking repair and maintenance solutions. Our commitment lies in placing the customer at the forefront of our operations, evident in our easy-to-use, mobile-friendly website and app. With a commitment to affordability and customer satisfaction, CarParts.com simplifies the automotive repair process, aiming to eliminate the uncertainty and stress often associated with vehicle maintenance. Backed by a robust company-operated fulfillment network, we ensure swift delivery of top-quality parts from leading brands to customers across the nation.
At CarParts.com, our global team is united by a shared vision: Empowering Drivers Along Their Journey.
CarParts.com is headquartered in Torrance, California.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Regulation G, and other provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, define and prescribe the conditions for use of certain non-GAAP financial information. We provide “Adjusted EBITDA” in this earnings release and on today’s scheduled conference call, which are non-GAAP financial measures. Adjusted EBITDA consist of net (loss) income before (a) interest (income) expense, net; (b) income tax provision; (c) depreciation and amortization expense; (d) amortization of intangible assets; (e) share-based compensation expense; (f) workforce transition costs; and (g) distribution center costs. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net (loss) income is provided below.
The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide important supplemental information to management and investors. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the Company’s operations that, when viewed with the GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the Company’s business and results of operations.
Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as measures of the Company’s operating performance because it assists in comparing the Company’s operating performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of stock compensation expense as well as other items that we do not believe are representative of our ongoing operating performance. Internally, these non-GAAP measures are also used by management for planning purposes, including the preparation of internal budgets; for allocating resources to enhance financial performance; and for evaluating the effectiveness of operational strategies. The Company also believes that analysts and investors use these non-GAAP measures as supplemental measures to evaluate the ongoing operations of companies in our industry.
These non-GAAP financial measures are used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Management strongly encourages investors to review the Company’s consolidated financial statements in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. In addition, the Company expects to continue to incur expenses similar to the non-GAAP adjustments described above, and exclusion of these items from the Company’s non-GAAP measures should not be construed as an inference that these costs are all unusual, infrequent or non-recurring.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements which are based on management’s current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s business and its industry, as well as certain assumptions made by the Company. These statements are forward looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Words such as “anticipates,” “could,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “believes,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “will likely continue” and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our future operating results and financial condition, our potential growth, our ability to innovate, our ability to gain market share, and our ability to expand and improve our product offerings. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.
Important factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, competitive pressures, our dependence on search engines to attract customers, demand for the Company’s products, the online market and channel mix for aftermarket auto parts, the economy in general, increases in commodity and component pricing that would increase the Company’s product costs, the operating restrictions in its credit agreement, the weather and any other factors discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the Risk Factors contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10–K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10–Q, which are available at www.carparts.com/investor and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements in this release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Investor Relations:
Ryan Lockwood, CFA
IR@carparts.com
Summarized information for the periods presented is as follows (in millions):
Thirteen
Weeks
Ended
Thirteen
Weeks
Ended
Twenty-Six
Weeks
Ended
Twenty-Six
Weeks
Ended
June 29, 2024
July 1, 2023
June 29, 2024
July 1, 2023
Net sales
$
144.27
$
176.98
$
310.56
$
352.47
Gross profit
$
48.39
$
60.44
$
102.31
$
122.99
33.5
%
34.2
%
32.9
%
34.9
%
Operating expense
$
57.12
$
61.29
$
117.56
$
123.20
39.6
%
34.6
%
37.9
%
35.0
%
Net (loss) income
$
(8.69)
$
(0.67)
$
(15.17)
$
0.38
(6.0)
%
(0.4)
%
(4.9)
%
0.1
%
Adjusted EBITDA
$
(0.12)
$
6.30
$
0.93
$
15.67
(0.1)
%
3.6
%
0.3
%
4.4
%
The table below reconciles net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented (in thousands):
Thirteen
Weeks
Ended
Thirteen
Weeks
Ended
Twenty-Six
Weeks
Ended
Twenty-Six
Weeks
Ended
June 29, 2024
July 1, 2023
June 29, 2024
July 1, 2023
Net (loss) income
$
(8,687)
$
(671)
$
(15,165)
$
380
Depreciation & amortization
4,455
4,247
8,480
8,166
Amortization of intangible assets
13
9
21
20
Interest (income) expense, net
(68)
(221)
(205)
126
Income tax provision
27
141
125
282
EBITDA
$
(4,260)
$
3,505
$
(6,744)
$
8,974
Stock compensation expense
$
3,328
$
2,797
$
5,910
$
6,696
Workforce transition costs(1)
108
—
591
—
Distribution center costs(2)
706
—
1,177
—
Adjusted EBITDA
$
(118)
$
6,302
$
934
$
15,670
(1)
We incurred workforce transition costs, primarily related to severance, as part of our recent workforce reductions.
(2)
We incurred certain non-recurring costs, primarily overlapping rent expense, attributable to moving to our new Las Vegas, Nevada distribution center.
CARPARTS.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONS
(Unaudited, In Thousands, Except Per Share Data)
Thirteen Weeks Ended
Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
June 29,
July 1,
June 29,
July 1,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net sales
$
144,270
$
176,978
$
310,559
$
352,470
Cost of sales (1)
95,877
116,536
208,247
229,477
Gross profit
48,393
60,442
102,312
122,993
Operating expense
57,121
61,286
117,557
123,201
Loss from operations
(8,728)
(844)
(15,245)
(208)
Other income (expense):
Other income, net
354
639
791
1,553
Interest expense
(286)
(325)
(586)
(683)
Total other income, net
68
314
205
870
(Loss) income before income taxes
(8,660)
(530)
(15,040)
662
Income tax provision
27
141
125
282
Net (loss) income
(8,687)
(671)
(15,165)
380
Other comprehensive gain:
Foreign currency adjustments
—
—
87
—
Unrealized gain on deferred compensation trust assets
—
24
—
48
Total other comprehensive gain
—
24
87
48
Comprehensive (loss) income
$
(8,687)
$
(647)
$
(15,078)
$
428
Net (loss) income per share:
Basic net (loss) income per share
$
(0.15)
$
(0.01)
$
(0.27)
$
0.01
Diluted net (loss) income per share
$
(0.15)
$
(0.01)
$
(0.27)
$
0.01
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Shares used in computation of basic net (loss) income per share
56,851
56,532
56,677
55,789
Shares used in computation of diluted net (loss) income per share
56,851
56,532
56,677
58,028
(1)
Excludes depreciation and amortization expense which is included in operating expense.
CARPARTS.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited, In Thousands, Except Par Value Data)
June 29,
December 30,
2024
2023
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$
34,065
$
50,951
Accounts receivable, net
6,147
7,365
Inventory, net
109,289
128,901
Other current assets
8,154
6,121
Total current assets
157,655
193,338
Property and equipment, net
34,622
26,389
Right-of-use – assets – operating leases, net
29,530
19,542
Right-of-use – assets – finance leases, net
12,929
15,255
Other non-current assets
3,303
3,331
Total assets
$
238,039
$
257,855
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$
62,701
$
77,851
Accrued expenses
17,571
20,770
Right-of-use – obligation – operating, current
5,692
4,749
Right-of-use – obligation – finance, current
3,897
4,308
Other current liabilities
4,742
5,308
Total current liabilities
94,603
112,986
Right-of-use – obligation – operating, non-current
26,166
16,742
Right-of-use – obligation – finance, non-current
10,517
12,327
Other non-current liabilities
2,863
2,969
Total liabilities
134,149
145,024
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; 57,088 and 56,303 shares issued and outstanding as of June 29, 2024 and December 30, 2023 (of which 3,786 are treasury stock)
61
60
Treasury stock
(11,912)
(11,912)
Additional paid-in capital
319,010
312,874
Accumulated other comprehensive income
870
783
Accumulated deficit
(204,139)
(188,974)
Total stockholders’ equity
103,890
112,831
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$
238,039
$
257,855
CARPARTS.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited, In Thousands)
Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
June 29,
July 1,
2024
2023
Operating activities
Net (loss) income
$
(15,165)
$
380
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense
8,480
8,166
Amortization of intangible assets
21
20
Share-based compensation expense
5,910
6,696
Stock awards issued for non-employee director service
19
11
Stock awards related to officers and directors stock purchase plan from payroll deferral
4
—
Gain from disposition of assets
—
(75)
Amortization of deferred financing costs
32
32
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable
1,217
(1,090)
Inventory
19,613
22,286
Other current assets
(2,032)
(4)
Other non-current assets
15
60
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
(17,802)
28,630
Other current liabilities
(566)
925
Right-of-use obligation – operating leases – current
1,169
380
Right-of-use obligation – operating leases – long-term
(790)
(398)
Other non-current liabilities
(107)
342
Net cash provided by operating activities
18
66,361
Investing activities
Additions to property and equipment
(14,567)
(4,669)
Payments for intangible assets
(40)
—
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment
—
83
Net cash used in investing activities
(14,607)
(4,586)
Financing activities
Borrowings from revolving loan payable
127
117
Payments made on revolving loan payable
(127)
(117)
Payments on finance leases
(2,157)
(2,467)
Repurchase of treasury stock
—
(1,052)
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock for ESPP
202
221
Statutory tax withholding payment for share-based compensation
(429)
—
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
—
1,969
Net cash used in financing activities
(2,384)
(1,329)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
87
—
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
(16,886)
60,446
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
50,951
18,767
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
$
34,065
$
79,213
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Right-of-use operating asset acquired
$
12,857
$
—
Accrued asset purchases
$
888
$
408
Share-based compensation expense capitalized in property and equipment
$
431
$
411
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid during the period for income taxes
$
48
$
155
Cash paid during the period for interest
$
586
$
683
Cash received during the period for interest
$
791
$
557
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SOURCE CarParts.com, Inc.
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April 21, 2026By
QC Ware hosts the 5th Q2B conference in Tokyo to connect the Asian and global quantum technology landscape and bring together quantum industry experts across computing, AI, telecommunications, sensing, finance, automotive, chemicals, and more.
TOKYO, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — QC Ware, a leading provider of industry-disrupting quantum technology, quantum-inspired machine learning, and quantum chemistry simulation solutions, today announced the 2026 Q2B Tokyo Conference (Q2B26) taking place June 4-5, 2026.
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SOURCE QC Ware Corp.
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About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has approximately 3,100 lawyers across 51 locations in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm’s broad geographic and practice range enables the delivery of innovative and strategic legal services across borders and industries. Recognized as a 2025 BTI “Best of the Best Recommended Law Firm” by general counsel for trust and relationship management, Greenberg Traurig is consistently ranked among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100, NLJ 500, and Law360 400. Greenberg Traurig is also known for its philanthropic giving, culture, innovation, and pro bono work. Web: www.gtlaw.com.
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Technology
Rockefeller Foundation Accelerates U.S. Economic Solutions at “Big Bets for America: Baltimore”
Published
42 minutes agoon
April 21, 2026By
More than 250 U.S. leaders from across philanthropy, policy, the private sector, and nonprofits to surface and scale bold solutions to the country’s most pressing economic challenges.
BALTIMORE, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Rockefeller Foundation today hosted Big Bets for America: Baltimore, bringing together more than 250 leaders spanning policy, philanthropic, private, and non-profit sectors in Baltimore to surface, accelerate, and scale ambitious solutions to the country’s most pressing challenges. With a Steering Committee—consisting of Abell Foundation, Baltimore Community Foundation, Baltimore Homecoming, Greater Baltimore Committee, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation—and strategic partners Greater Washington Partnership, Baltimore Development Corporation, and Johns Hopkins University, the Foundation and event participants, including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, announced new initiatives and innovative collaborations to create economic pathways and advance opportunities for communities across the State of Maryland and nationwide. In Baltimore, The Rockefeller Foundation also launched a $100 million commitment to connect America’s workers to good jobs and its next class of U.S. Big Bets Fellows.
“For 250 years, America’s promise has been that hard work leads to a stable, dignified life,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Today, too many communities have been left so far behind that this promise feels out of reach. With the commitments announced today, The Rockefeller Foundation is betting on the resilience of the American worker and the ingenuity of our communities — and building the infrastructure to help that bet pay off at national scale.”
Big Bets for America is a national series of convenings that brings together leaders from across the United States to accelerate economic growth, energize action, and move communities forward. The Baltimore event builds on momentum from the series’ inaugural gathering in Oklahoma City in November 2025.
Major announcements from Big Bets for America: Baltimore include:
The Rockefeller Foundation Commits $100 Million to Connect America’s Workers to Good Jobs. The Rockefeller Foundation launched a new three-year, $100 million commitment to help communities across the country connect more people to good jobs and adapt to rapid economic and technological change. The strategy aims to benefit 10 to 20 million people across approximately 250 of America’s most distressed communities, help enable the creation of roughly 1.6 million additional good jobs nationally, and leverage aligned capital in partnership with employers and public, private, and philanthropic funders. The strategy focuses on sectors with the strongest job growth outlook: healthcare and the care economy, energy transition, food systems, and AI-enabled industries.
The Rockefeller Foundation to Increase Support for Invest in Our Future. As part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s commitment to advancing good jobs and building stronger, more inclusive workforce systems, The Foundation expects to provide over the next three years an additional $12 million to Invest in Our Future, a pooled fund supported by RF Catalytic Capital, Inc., that mobilizes clean energy opportunities to drive economic opportunity, including jobs, in communities nationwide. Since its launch in 2023, the initiative has worked with aligned funders to unlock hundreds of millions of philanthropic dollars for clean energy deployment and has shown that combining philanthropic capital, policy implementation, and strong cross-sector partnerships can rapidly scale impact and turn clean energy investments into real economic opportunities at the state and local levels.
Governor Wes Moore Announces $1.5 Million in Philanthropic Awards to ENOUGH Communities. Governor Wes Moore highlighted the distribution of $1.5 million in philanthropic funding awards from the Sherman Family Foundation, the Bainum Family Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation to strengthen education and child care access in nine ENOUGH communities – Maryland jurisdictions with high concentrations of childhood poverty. The funding will support nine ENOUGH communities as they launch and sustain programs to strengthen education and child care, including through such efforts as reducing chronic absenteeism through safe transportation options to school and developing afterschool programs to boost literacy rates.
The Rockefeller Foundation Announces Second Class of U.S. Big Bets Fellows. The Rockefeller Foundation named 10 bold innovators to its 2026 class of U.S. Big Bets Fellows — working in California, Central Appalachia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Building on the inaugural 2025 class, this year’s fellows are working to expand workforce pathways and unlock capital for underserved communities. Over the course of the four-month fellowship, The Rockefeller Foundation will provide fellows with tailored programming, peer networking, and professional development to sharpen their approaches and scale their impact.
The Engine Introduces the Tough Tech Map. The Engine launched the Tough Tech Map, a public interactive directory connecting Tough Tech startups to sector- and geography-specific infrastructure — from national labs to test beds and fellowships to incubators. Developed in partnership with the broader ecosystem, the map aims to centralize resources startups in climate, health, advanced compute, and other Tough Tech sectors need to scale. Learn more at www.ToughTechMap.xyz.
LACI Expands City Climate Innovation Challenge to Baltimore & 15 Other US Cities. The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) announced a new cohort of cities for its City Climate Innovation Challenge, which includes Baltimore City and 15 others. The Challenge helps cities identify climate innovations and cleantech entrepreneurs, pilots the selected solutions, provides technical assistance, and scales what works to better improve lives and livelihoods in urban areas. Baltimore’s inclusion signals growing momentum for the program as it scales LACI’s unique model of public-private climate collaboration to cities across the country.
The Clean Fight Announces Expansion of its National Deployment Grant Fund. The Clean Fight announced that its National Deployment Grant Fund, an initiative that uses targeted catalytic grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to accelerate the adoption of proven clean energy solutions in homes, schools, and communities across America – prioritizing vulnerable and underserved communities – has received $1 million from The Rockefeller Foundation toward its $10 million goal. The Fund’s model is built on the idea that funding the right “first” project unlocks many more: each grant is structured to generate the evidence, financing model, or de-risked use case that allows other communities to follow without ongoing subsidy. In New York, The Clean Fight has supported 70 companies and 22 deployment projects with $5.4 million in catalytic grants, generating over 5,000 follow-on deployments statewide and nearly 1,000 jobs. The Rockefeller Foundation’s contribution is helping take The Clean Fight’s model national, with learnings shared broadly through open-source reference designs, implementation guides, and national convenings.
Big Bets for America Series to Go to Cleveland. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and The Rockefeller Foundation announced that the next Big Bets for America convening will take place in Cleveland on June 9. More details about that agenda will be provided in the coming weeks.
What participants at Big Bets for America: Baltimore are saying:
Governor of Maryland Wes Moore: “When I committed to an unprecedented attack on child poverty in Maryland, I knew we needed more than just government on board. That’s why I’m grateful to our philanthropic partners who are stepping up alongside us to make bets on solutions no government can tackle alone. Today we’re taking another step forward on a truly collaborative approach that brings together government, philanthropy, and the private sector to set the standard for what real, structural progress looks like, and making Maryland a model for the nation.”
Mayor of Baltimore Brandon Scott: “Baltimore was proud to host this gathering of public and private sector partners committed to equitable, community-driven economic growth. Especially in areas that have historically faced intentional disinvestment—like many neighborhoods in Charm City—we have to be just as intentional with the ways we work to create opportunity today. I’m grateful that The Rockefeller Foundation shares that focus, and look forward to working together on many of the partnerships announced during this convening.”
Mayor of Cleveland Justin Bibb: “Cleveland is investing in its people, its neighborhoods, and its future – and it’s working. The moment is here to bet on our city, to connect residents to opportunity, and to unlock investment at scale. We’re ready to show the country what inclusive growth looks like in action.”
Kate Frucher, CEO, The Clean Fight: “This is the moment to make sure proven clean energy solutions – ones that improve lives right now and build resilience for decades to come – don’t sit on the sidelines. Supporting the right first project doesn’t just benefit one community, it creates a powerful slipstream for everyone who comes after. That’s exactly what our Deployment Grant Fund is built to do – using the disproportionate impact that strategically placed, small-dollar grant funding can have.”
Emily Knight, The Engine: “We built the Tough Tech Map to open up access to the infrastructure founders need to scale, not just in major hubs, but everywhere. It serves as connective tissue, helping startups leverage shared Tough-Tech-specific resources so they can stay capital efficient while turning breakthrough ideas into real-world impact.”
Matt Petersen, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator: “LACI’s City Climate Innovation Challenge was created to help local governments pilot and scale the best cleantech solutions that improve air quality, create jobs, and grow the economy. Thanks to the support of the Rockefeller Foundation and others, we are excited to launch our next cohort of 16 cities across the U.S, including Baltimore, to increase access to reliable and affordable EV charging for every neighborhood, including apartment dwellers and underserved communities.”
Derrick Adams, Charm City Cultural Cultivation: “I’ve seen how different cities have transformed their communities into these types of communities where people can thrive. We’re really going into an entrepreneurial culture right now where there’s not going to be a lot of big industry in the way it used to be. We see it through the younger generations, the way they are mapping out their future…if you want to look at the way the economy is moving…people want to be in community, but we need to figure out how this community can advance.”
Torrey Smith, Philanthropist, two-time Super Bowl Champion: “The reality is there are so many more people doing way bigger and better things with less. And that’s why it’s important when you are the Baltimore Orioles or the Baltimore Ravens: You have the opportunity to uplift people by using your platform and providing them with opportunities.”
Kevin Plank, Under Armour: “Across the country, leaders are rethinking where they invest, where they grow, and where they place long-term confidence because capital is moving. Talent is mobile and cities are either stepping forward or falling further behind. But Baltimore has everything it needs to compete. …What is needed now isn’t more consensus; it’s shared conviction followed by action.”
About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance, including with our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.
About The Engine
The Engine is a nonprofit incubator and accelerator dedicated to supporting early stage Tough Tech companies by providing the infrastructure, programs, and ecosystem support they need to thrive. Tough Tech is transformational technology rooted in breakthrough science and engineering, aimed at solving the world’s most pressing challenges. These companies are capital-intensive, highly regulated, and technically complex, requiring specialized infrastructure, patient support, and a resilient path from lab to market. Learn more at www.engine.xyz
About Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)
The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is creating an inclusive green economy by unlocking innovation through scaling cleantech startups, transforming markets through catalytic partnerships with policymakers, innovators, and market leaders in transportation, energy, and sustainable cities, like the Transportation Electrification Partnership, and enhancing communities through green jobs workforce training, pilots and other programs. Founded as an economic development initiative by the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Water & Power (LADWP) in 2011, LACI is recognized as one of the top 10 innovative business incubators in the world by UBI. LACI has helped 506 portfolio companies raise over $1 billion in funding, generated $344 million in revenue, and created 2,626 jobs throughout the Los Angeles region, with a long term economic impact of more than $733 million.
About The Clean Fight
The Clean Fight is a not-for-profit dedicated to accelerating the adoption of climate solutions for 100% of the population – moving them into communities faster, more affordably, and at scale. Through catalytic grants, deployment programs, and prize competitions, The Clean Fight designs and delivers adoption models that turn one-off projects into first-of-many. The Clean Fight is supported by NYSERDA, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and leading philanthropic partners. Learn more at thecleanfight.com.
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SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation
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