Activate CEO Ilan Gur to Lead UK Science Innovation Agency

Global Recognition of Activate’s Work to Empower Scientists

Berkeley, Calif., July 19, 2022 -- Today, Activate announced that its founder and CEO, Ilan Gur, will become the founding chief executive officer of the newly established UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). With a billion-dollar initial funding commitment, ARIA is designed to accelerate the scientific and technological breakthroughs the world needs. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will expand on Activate’s work to forge new ways to empower scientists and engineers, catalyze game-changing technologies, and create a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable world.

“We will miss Ilan tremendously, but we are excited for him and for the incredible potential to affect change that his new role represents,” said Liesl Schindler, Activate’s board chair. “Ilan’s appointment is a strong endorsement at the global level of Activate’s work and will further Activate’s mission to help scientists move critical innovation from lab to market.” 

To date, Activate has supported over 140 entrepreneurial fellows and catalyzed more than 100 science-based startups that have collectively raised nearly $1 billion and created over 700 jobs. Most importantly, Activate Fellows have emerged as global leaders accelerating the invention and deployment of climate-tech solutions in areas ranging from energy storage to carbon capture, advanced geothermal, and beyond. 

“Over the past seven years, Activate has grown into one of the strongest science innovation communities in the world, and in time it will surely be among the most impactful," said Gur. "It's hard to imagine working on anything else, but ARIA is an unprecedented opportunity to further demonstrate at scale the power of supporting scientists on a mission. Meanwhile, the extraordinary people and culture at the heart of Activate give me nothing but confidence and excitement for the organization's next phase of leadership and growth."

Activate launched two new fellow communities this year and, building on a strong foundation of success, has expanded its team and operations to support an even greater number and diversity of entrepreneurial fellows across the United States. As a sign of the organization’s increased national leadership, Activate’s executive managing director, Aimee Rose, was recently appointed to serve on the Department of Commerce National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE), and Steve Tran, Activate’s vice president of finance and contracts, has been selected for the board of advisors for the National Contract Management Association.

To continue increasing its reach and impact, Activate plans to expand its team and entrepreneurial fellowship program, geographically and demographically, onboarding 100 fellows per year from diverse communities nationwide within the next five years.

Activate’s board of directors will conduct a nationwide search for a CEO to lead the organization in this exciting new stage of operations at scale. While conducting that search, the Activate board has named Todd Johnson as interim CEO, effective August 15th. Johnson has been a trusted advisor and mentor to Activate and Gur since the very beginning and has served the organization as counsel, advisor, consultant, board chair, and chair of the board’s executive committee. Johnson built and led the Renewable Energy and Sustainability practice at Jones Day and is a globally recognized social entrepreneurship leader. Gur will continue to support Activate as executive advisor as he takes on his new role. He is committed to the long-term success of Activate and will remain a member of the Activate community. 

“We are confident that this moment of change, which we all know is inevitable in the life of an organization, is happening at the right time,” said Johnson. “Activate is now built to scale, with the talent, resources, and infrastructure in place to achieve that expansion.” 

“The urgency and gravity of the world’s most pressing problems demand that both Activate and Ilan seize this new opportunity to expand the reach and impact of science innovation,” said Arun Majumdar, Stanford University professor, first director of the US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and founding Activate board member. “As Activate’s motto says, the world needs scientists now more than ever. Both Activate and ARIA are critical to the future of this planet.”

The UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency press announcement is available here.

About Activate
Activate empowers scientists to reinvent the world by launching startups to address climate change and other global challenges. Working between government, philanthropy, universities, and the private sector, Activate transforms scientists into high-impact entrepreneurs through the Activate Fellowship, a two-year immersive experience that provides funding and fosters the resources, knowledge, networks, investors, and partnerships that fellows need to succeed. Activate’s entrepreneurial fellowship model originated at Cyclotron Road, a division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and founding Activate partner. Cyclotron Road is also supported by the DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office as one of four Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs. Activate supports fellows in communities across the United States: Activate Berkeley, Activate Boston, Activate New York, and Activate Anywhere. Learn more at Activate.org.  

Press inquiries: Contact MC O’Connor, 415-497-0568, mc.oconnor@activate.org