Fiscal Year 2021 Delivering Cleantech Innovations to Market
We Mean Business
Connecting people and ideas. That's our business. From partners to researchers to entrepreneurs to investors to customers. We are the NREL Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC).
From our unique position as an externally focused center in a national laboratory, we bring economically viable cleantech innovations to market. We serve our public and private sector funding partners by leveraging the capabilities of NREL and other labs and activating and connecting our network of cleantech startups, investors, foundations, and industry partners.
Join us on a journey through our year.
The Highlights
Startup Portfolio Highlights
As the front door to NREL, the IEC opens opportunities for startups and assists them in their journeys to commercialization. Whether connecting them with our world-class technology incubation programs funded by our partners or through matchmaking with investment opportunities, we are propelling innovation forward by unlocking the door to experts and lab facilities. Startups are our customers, our inspiration, and the key to getting clean energy solutions to market.
Air Company
Air Company has patented a process to transform carbon dioxide into impurity-free alcohols. Today, it's producing vodka; it has the potential to create a carbon-negative fuel. It won the NASA Prize CO₂ Conversion Challenge.
UbiQD
UbiQD, an advanced materials company that specializes in quantum dots, closed a $7 million Series A funding round. The company installed five of its energy-producing windows at the NREL Café for data-gathering analyses.
Antora Energy
Antora Energy demonstrated what is reported to be the world's most efficient solid state heat engine—a 30% conversion efficiency. It stores electricity as heat and uses a novel thermophotovoltaic process to convert that heat back to electricity.
7AC
7AC, an IN² portfolio company, was acquired by multinational powerhouse Emerson. The acquisition package included liquid desiccant heat exchanger technology developed with NREL. Learn more in the news story.
Team RouteE
To reduce transportation energy use and emissions and combat climate change, NREL partnered with Google to develop more eco-friendly routing in Google Maps. In the end, Google implemented mapping methodology developed by the Team RouteE Energy I-Corps team.
See the video text version.
Turntide Technologies
Breakthrough Energy Ventures led an $80 million funding round for electric motor innovator Turntide Technologies. Its Smart Motor System combines with building controls and intelligence to drive down energy use and operating costs.
NREL Researchers
Meet the NREL researchers who led projects with startups in our portfolio in FY 2021.
- Shaun Alia, Ionomr, GCxN
- Shaun Alia, Versogen, GCxN
- Amy Allen, Darcy Solutions, IN²
- Willy Bernal Heredia, Yotta Energy, IN²
- Eric Bonnema, Feedback Solutions, CTAP
- Chuck Booten, Cypris Materials, IN²
- Chuck Booten, Radiator Labs, IN²
- Tanushree Charan, Ladybug Tools, IN²
- Dane Christensen, Altus Thermal, NCAP
- Shuang Cui, EnKoat, IN²
- Rawad El Kontar, Pivot Energy, IN²
- Chaiwat Engtrakul, Aeroshield, IN²
- Ramin Faramarzi, Turntide Technologies, IN²
- Shibani Ghosh, Span, GCxN
- Kevin Harrison, Air Company, GCxN
- Rishabh Jain, Intertie, GCxN
- Amanda Kirkeby, Open Solar, NCAP
- Ravi Kishore, Techstyle Materials, IN²
- Nikos Kopidakis, G2V Optics, CTAP
- Eric Kozubal, Stash, IN²
- Eric Kozubal, Blue Frontier, IN²
- Parthiv Kurup, Solar Steam, CTAP
- Parthiv Kurup, Solistra, CTAP
- Nicholas Long, Audette, CTAP
- Joey Luther, QD Solar, CTAP
- Dan Macumber, Ladybug Tools, IN²
- Allison Mahvi, Stash, IN²
- Killian McKenna, Jolt Energy Storage Technologies, GCxN
- Ryan Meyer, Darcy Solutions, IN²
- Eric Miller, Microgrid Labs, GCxN
- Matt Moniot, Microgrid Labs, GCxN
- David Moore, BlueDot Photonics, GCxN
- Wale Odukomaiya, EnKoat, IN²
- Andrew Parker, Lumen Energy, NCAP
- Shanti Pless, Blokable, IN²
- Shanti Pless, STRATIS, IN²
- Shanti Pless, Pre Framing Corp, IN²
- Shanti Pless, Shadow Labs, NCAP
- Ankur Podder, Pre Framing Corp, IN²
- Stacey Rothgeb, Blokable, IN²
- Aron Saxon, Feasible Inc, GCxN
- Aron Saxon, Inergy, NCAP
- Bethany Sparn, NeoCharge, IN²
- Bethany Sparn, Shifted Energy, IN²
- Bethany Sparn, Span, IN²
- Myles Steiner, Antora Energy, GCxN
- Rob Tenent, UbiQD, IN²
- Jeroen van Dam, Biome Renewables, CTAP
- Santosh Veda, Electrical Grid Monitoring, GCxN
- Grant Wheeler, 75F, IN²
- Grant Wheeler, Turntide Technologies, IN²
- Korbaga Woldekidan, Pivot Energy, IN²
- Korbaga Woldekidan, STRATIS, IN²
- Jason Woods, Icarus RT Inc, GCxN
- Chuanbo Yang, All Cell Technologies, GCxN
Our Programs Support NREL Research Areas
See how our IEC programs map to NREL's research and development.
Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²)
- Building Technologies and Science Center
- Center for Energy Conversion & Storage Systems
- Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences
- Chemistry & Nanoscience
- Computational Science
- Energy Security and Resilience
- Energy Systems Integration Facility
- Integrated Applications Center
- Materials Science
- Power Systems Engineering
- Site Operations
Shell Gamechanger Powered by NREL (GCXN)
- Building Technologies and Science Center
- Center for Energy Conversion & Storage Systems
- Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences
- Chemistry & Nanoscience
- Computational Science
- Energy Systems Integration
- Energy Systems Integration Facility
- Integrated Applications Center
- Power Systems Engineering
Energy I-Corps by Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy
- Building Technologies and Science Center
- Catalytic Carbon Transformation & Scale-Up Center
- Center for Energy Conversion & Storage Systems
- Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences
- Chemistry & Nanoscience
- Computational Science
- Integrated Applications Center
- Materials Science
- National Wind Technology Center
- Power Systems Engineering
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center
- Site Operations
- Strategic Energy Analysis Center
Canadian Technology Accelerator
- Building Technologies and Science Center
- Center for Energy Conversion & Storage Systems
- Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences
- Chemistry & Nanoscience
- Integrated Applications Center
- Materials Science
- National Wind Technology Center
- Power Systems Engineering
NREL Commercialization Assistance Program
- Building Technologies and Science Center
- Center for Energy Conversion & Storage Systems
- Energy Security and Resilience
- Energy Systems Integration
- Materials Science
- Strategic Energy Analysis Center
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Programs
The programs and events housed in the IEC range from large to small. They are supported by private funding, public dollars, or a combination of the two. Their one commonality: They are focused on bringing cleantech to market where it can make an impact.
The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator
The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator provides funding and technical assistance for clean technology and agricultural startup companies to help accelerate their paths to market. Funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation, IN² harnesses the world-class expertise and facilities of NREL and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center).
IN²-selected companies receive $250,000 in nondilutive grants to validate their technologies at NREL or the Danforth Center and secure the benefit of business connections across the entire IN² network.
Since 2014, IN² has contributed 30,376 researcher hours to NREL; it contributed 8,410 researcher hours in FY 2021.
The Shell GameChanger Accelerator™ Powered by NREL
The Shell Gamechanger Accelerator™ Powered by NREL provides cleantech startups with access to NREL's world-class research and facilities, along with the incubation expertise of the Shell GameChanger program.
The multimillion-dollar, multiyear program focuses on discovering and advancing emerging clean technologies with the potential to dramatically alter the future energy landscape. GCxN identifies promising startup companies through our Channel Partners, an extensive ecosystem of cleantech business incubators, accelerators, and universities.
19 companies have participated in GCxN since it began in 2018.
Energy I-Corps, a Program of the Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy
Energy I-Corps is a business training program for national lab researchers who have developed high-potential energy technologies that may be ready for commercialization.
The program, managed by NREL, partners researchers with industry mentors for a 2-month "boot camp" in which researchers learn to develop their technologies into a business. The curriculum allows researchers to define technology value propositions, conduct customer discovery interviews, and establish pathways to bring their technologies to market.
Energy I-Corps has trained 545 national lab researchers since the program began; it trained 119 lab researchers in FY 2021.
Canadian Technology Accelerator Program
The Canadian Technology Accelerator Program is a cleantech program developed by the Government of Canada's Trade Commissioner Service, through which early-stage companies pitch their technologies to NREL experts.
Through this program, Canadian startups are awarded technical assistance hours with NREL scientists to help address their clean energy challenges and develop solutions for their technologies.
46 Canadian companies have worked with NREL through CTAP; Five companies did so in FY 2021.
LabStart
In the summer of 2020, we kicked off the NREL LabStart program, designed to discover, build, and launch startup companies from the research centers at the lab. This pilot program was supported in partnership with MXV Ventures and Carbon180's Entrepreneurial-in-Residence Fellowship program. Carbon180/LabStart Fellows spent 3 months discovering market and startup potential for NREL technologies in the carbon-removal sector, culminating in a presentation to the NREL Investor Advisory Board. In 2021, one of the three LabStart teams signed a licensing agreement with NREL.
NREL Commercialization Assistance Program
The NREL Commercialization Assistance Program connects emerging cleantech companies with NREL's scientists, engineers, and facilities to overcome technical barriers to commercializing clean energy technology.
Developed to assist renewable energy and energy efficiency companies, the program provides expertise, capabilities, and equipment to help small businesses with specific technology problems, questions, or needs.
Small Business Program
The NREL Small Business Program supports companies by subcontracting, purchasing equipment and services, and through our award-winning Mentor Protégé Program, which helps small businesses enhance their subcontract performance capabilities for government agencies. Through this program, NREL collaborates with small, disadvantaged, women-owned, HUBZone, veteran-owned, and disabled veteran-owned businesses.
Our Cleantech Network
The IEC has convening power. We work with industry experts, investors, other national labs, U.S. Department of Energy, other federal agencies and research facilities, and corporates. They are crucial to our programs and to our startups. This is our network.
The Industry Growth Forum, held annually in the spring, convenes cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts to build relationships, showcase innovative technologies, and explore disruptive business solutions. In addition to the cleantech innovation pitch competition, it features one-on-one meetings between entrepreneurs and investors.
2021 NREL Industry Growth Forum Highlights
Industry Growth Forum Presenting Companies Have Raised More Than $8 Billion in Growth Financing
Industry Growth Forum Pitch Competition Winners
Best Venture Award
- Full Harvest Technologies
Outstanding Venture Awards
- Mosaic Materials: Early Stage
- Enpower: Commercialization Stage
- Full Harvest Technologies: Growth Stage
- Electro-Active Technologies: Emerging Markets
People's Choice Award
- Twelve (formerly Opus 12)
Channel Partner Network Serves as Pipeline of Innovation
Our Channel Partners are an ecosystem of more than 60 cleantech and sustainability-focused business incubators, accelerators, and universities that serve as the pipeline of innovation by referring companies to our tech incubator programs.
Every year, the Wells Fargo Foundation provides grants to Channel Partners to strengthen the ecosystem of cleantech and agtech support for early-stage entrepreneurs. In May 2020, IN² awarded 18 Channel Partners $50,000 each to provide aid in response to the COVID pandemic. From the $900,000 that was dispersed, 371 startups received support, producing more than $19 million in revenue, 106 new employees, more than 1,500 new customers, and raising more than $78 in investments or other funding.
In February 2021, $350,000 of strategic award funding was distributed to four Channel Partners that are providing entrepreneurial opportunities for historically underrepresented groups in the cleantech industry.
IN² Channel Partners are an ecosystem of more than 60 cleantech and sustainability-focused business incubators, accelerators and universities who serve as the pipeline of innovation by referring companies to the program. Each application round, the IN² program relies on these critical partners to send their best and brightest to apply.
- ACRE, New York, New York
- AgLaunch, Memphis, Tennessee
- AgSprint, Las Cruces, New Mexico
- AgStart, Woodland, California
- Ann Arbor SPARK, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- BioGenerator, St. Louis, Missouri
- Browning the Green Space, Boston, Massachusetts
- BRITE Energy Innovators, Warren, Ohio
- Caltech, FLOW Program, Pasadena, California
- Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Clean Energy Trust (CET), Chicago, Illinois
- Cleantech Group, San Francisco, California
- Cleantech Open, Los Angeles, California
- Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, Palm Springs, California
- Colorado State University Energy Institute, Powerhouse, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California
- Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Elemental Excelerator, Honolulu, Hawaii
- F3 Tech Accelerator, Easton, Maryland
- Greentown Labs/FORGE, Somerville, Massachusetts
- Helix Center, St. Louis, Missouri
- Imagine H2O, Inc., San Francisco, California
- Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
- Innosphere, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Innovation Corridor Foundation, Denver, Colorado
- Larta Institute, Los Angeles, California
- Launch Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska
- Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Los Angeles, California
- MaRS, Toronto, California
- Mass Challenge, Boston, Massachusetts
- MIT Energy Club, Boston, Massachusetts
- New Energy Nexus, San Francisco, California
- NextEnergy Center, Detroit, Michigan
- North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech), RTP, North Carolina
- Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC) Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Portland State University Business Accelerator, Portland, Oregon
- Powerhouse, Oakland, California
- Prospect SV, San Jose, California
- Rice University, Houston, Texas
- Stanford, TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy, Stanford, California
- Sustainable Startups, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Syracuse Center of Excellence, Syracuse, New York
- TechAccel, St. Louis, Missouri
- Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Clean Energy Incubator (TAMCEI), College Station, Texas
- Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
- The Water Council, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- The Yield Lab, St. Louis, Missouri
- THRIVE, Los Gatos, California
- University of Arizona Center for Innovation, Tucson, Arizona
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
- University of California, Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute (EEI), Davis, California
- University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
- University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
- University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
- University of Georgia, Innovation Gateway, Athens, Georgia
- University of North Carolina, Institute for the Environment, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin Technology Incubator (ATI), Austin, Texas
- University of Texas at Austin, Texas Venture Labs, Austin, Texas
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Energy Institute, Madison, Wisconsin
- VertueLab, Portland, Oregon
Investor Advisory Board
The NREL Investor Advisory Board comprises 45 members representing different sectors of the clean technologies investment community. They provide insights and expertise in sector trends, challenges and opportunities, and technical understanding of the cleantech industry. Working with NREL, entrepreneurs, and each other, they equip innovators with the capital and tools to be successful.
The firms on the NREL Investor Advisory Board represent a range in scope, size, and mission, from angel investors and family offices such as Zoma Capital or Ajax Strategies to the venture capital arms of Saudi Aramco, Shell, and BP.
Investor and NREL Investor Advisory Board Highlights
More than 200 investors participated in the Industry Growth Forum as:
- Members of the selection committee
- Mentors to the selected presenting companies
- Judges at the pitch competition
- Table hosts at the one-on-one networking session.
This year, the Investor Advisory Board held three board meetings hosted by NREL. Discussion topics were:
- Policy for the Energy Transition
- Electrons to Molecules
- Carbon Economics.
Investors, including Investor Advisory Board members, attended an Industry Growth Forum Investor Town Hall co-hosted by Silicon Valley Bank, Wilson Sonsini, and NREL in April. The interactive discussion focused on the boom of cleantech special-purpose acquisition companies and the related impacts on investment strategies.
Trends in Cleantech
In FY 2021, we worked with our Channel Partners to collect data on the cleantech landscape from 1,363 startups. Read the results: Perspectives From the IN² Network: State of the Cleantech Landscape.
NREL and our partners collaborated to form cohorts focused on pressing clean energy topics, including:
- Electrochemistry
- E-mobility
- Industrial electrification
- Affordable housing
- Indoor agriculture.
Trends in Industry Growth Forum-Attending Startups Technology Types
Technology will inevitably change over time, and NREL's Industry Growth Forum is an insightful window into the industry's needs. In 2021, we saw a 6% increase in energy storage technologies among attending startups. Additionally, 25% of the presenting startups had technologies relating to energy storage, demonstrating an increase in fundraising and investment activity in this cleantech subsector.
State of the Cleantech Landscape
According to the 2021 report Perspectives From the IN² Network: State of the Cleantech Landscape, there is a robust balance of company stage and technology focus area across the United States, location may not be as important as it once was, and universities and national labs play key roles in entrepreneurship.
The map shows the multiple connections startups engage across the country, originating with the cleantech Channel Partner network of more than 60 accelerators, incubators, and university programs.
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Team
In FY 2021, Shelly Curtiss was awarded the Cleantech Champion for 2020 from the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association.
Katie Woslager received the Duane Pearsall Entrepreneurial Award from the Rockies Venture Club—the first woman recipient. Past honorees include John Elway, Mayor John Hickenlooper, Bill Daniels, Governor Roy Romer, and many others.
Many Thanks
We would like to thank our funding partners, technical partners, cleantech incubator ecosystem, community of investors, dedicated researchers, NREL and U.S. Department of Energy leadership, and the incredible startups we serve. We're looking forward to a blockbuster 2022.
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November 2021
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