Berkeley Lab plays an important role in turning scientific research into successful commercial ventures. Initiatives and programs like Cyclotron Road, Cradle to Commerce, and IMPEL are designed to foster innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship by providing training, technical expertise, access to facilities, and mentorship to startups, some of which are led by Lab employees. These startups have the potential to change the world with products for clean energy and energy efficiency, health care, and computing sciences, to name just a few examples. This summer has been a particularly busy one for the Lab’s startup support activities, with IMPEL’s participation in the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Innovative Housing Showcase, Cyclotron Road’s announcement of its next cohort, and Cradle to Commerce’s first summit.
IMPEL Presents Seven Startups at HUD Innovative Housing Showcase
To kick off the summer, IMPEL, a building and energy climate tech startup incubator funded by the DOE’s Building Technologies Office and led by Berkeley Lab’s Energy Technologies Area, participated in the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Innovative Housing Showcase at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. from June 7-9. Seven IMPEL startups presented their cutting-edge building technologies. An estimated 5,000 people attended the HUD Showcase, an annual public event demonstrating the best of innovative housing solutions for the nation.
IMPEL supports national lab researchers as well as entrepreneurs, business professionals, and academics who want to bring to the marketplace innovations related to the design, construction, and management of built environment and infrastructure. Participants in IMPEL engage in a series of pitch coaching workshops, business seminars, mentoring connections with industry leaders, and real-world pitching opportunities.
IMPEL is now accepting applications for its 2025 cohort.
Cyclotron Road Introduces its 10th Cohort of Entrepreneurial Fellows
On the heels of IMPEL’s participation in the HUD Showcase, Cyclotron Road announced its 2024 cohort of scientists and engineers in early July. These 14 fellows – founders and co-founders of 10 startup companies – will have access to our world-class lab facilities, multidisciplinary researchers, and experts, as well as entrepreneurial training (in collaboration with non-profit partner Activate) needed to validate, scale, and fund their ideas from prototype to production.
Cyclotron Road is the DOE’s first Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) housed at Berkeley Lab. Since its inception in 2015, Cyclotron Road fellows have raised nearly $2 billion in follow-on funding, hired more than 1,400 employees, and brought innovative products and services to market across industries including agriculture, energy, and manufacturing.
Cyclotron Road is now accepting applications for its next cohort. Help spread the word and contact Melanie Sonsteng if you are interested in reviewing applications or engaging with Cyclotron Road companies.
Berkeley Lab Hosts First Cradle to Commerce (C2C) Summit
Just a week after the Cyclotron Road announcement, Berkeley Lab hosted its first Cradle to Commerce (C2C) Summit on July 18-19. Cradle to Commerce aims to provide support, over a two-year period, to startups that are working to commercialize technologies from four national labs, related to building energy efficiency, renewable energy, grid modernization and energy storage, and nuclear energy. The summit capped the first cohort’s experience, bringing together more than 150 attendees, including the program’s four national lab partners (Berkeley Lab, Argonne National Lab, Idaho National Lab, and Oak Ridge National Lab) and private partners, DOE program managers, startup teams, representatives from industry, and the investment community.
The program’s eight teams from C2C’s Cohort 1 showcased their technologies to investors and the community, while 20 potential startup teams presented for a chance to join the program’s next two-year cycle. In addition, expert panelists discussed the market landscapes in the relevant sectors and investors provided insight into funders’ decision-making. Media stories that resulted included a story about the role of national labs in the energy transition and a story about one of the C2C Legion startups.
Visit the C2C website for more information about C2C. Contact Reshma Singh if you are interested in reviewing applications, or taking your IP towards commercialization.
