Unlocking Innovation, Inspiring Entrepreneurs

The West Gate Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program offers promising entrepreneurs a career-changing opportunity to access NREL's expertise and capabilities to speed the development of their startup's core technologies.

Aspiring entrepreneurs aim to tackle the world's greatest challenges of fostering clean energy. Selected innovators' core technologies align with NREL's research mission to advance energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and renewable power to optimize energy systems.

West Gate embeds innovators at NREL and the Colorado School of Mines and pairs them with scientists who specialize in the innovators' technology areas. Throughout the program's two-year runway, innovators work with scientists in NREL and Mines' world-class laboratories to de-risk their technologies, ready them for market, and grow their startup companies.

About the Program

Meet Our Innovators

How To Apply