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The Hartford partners with UC Berkeley energy incubator
The engagement, led by the insurer’s Y-Risk unit, will run through BL-EM’s pilot program ahead of the incubator’s expected 2028 opening.
The Hartford has partnered with UC Berkeley’s Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials, BL-EM, to support startups developing next generation energy and materials technologies with mentorship, educational programming, and practical insurance and risk management guidance, Insurance Business reports.
The engagement will be led by Y-Risk, The Hartford’s specialty unit focused on underwriting emerging technologies and business models. Matt Scott, head of Innovation and Risk Services at The Hartford, said the goal is to study and understand risk before it fully materializes, adding that insights from the partnership should help the company build expertise for customers operating at the industry frontier.
The BL-EM facility is a five story, 145,000 square foot building designed to house up to 75 early stage companies. It broke ground in late 2025 and is not expected to open until 2028, with The Hartford’s involvement starting through a pilot program launched to build momentum with founders and provide lab space and mentorship ahead of the full opening.
As part of the arrangement, The Hartford will also join UC Berkeley’s Launch Advisory Group as the only insurer among industry leaders guiding BL-EM’s founders, with a focus on advanced energy systems and materials innovation tied to rising AI driven power demand and broader sustainable energy efforts. BL-EM operates under the QB3 run model, and The Hartford’s announcement also highlighted UC Berkeley’s earlier Bakar Bio Labs track record, citing $1 billion raised across 55 companies as of early 2026, according to the incubator’s reporting.