Activate Updates: March 2025

Activate Updates

Mar 26

This month, we’re celebrating groundbreaking work from our fellows—including innovations in everything from mining to battery-assisted induction cooktop ranges—while gearing up for two major industry events: ARPA-E and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Industry Growth Forum. Plus, we're honored to be named a finalist for the East Bay Innovation Awards (a.k.a. the “Academy Awards of the East Bay”)!

The momentum doesn’t stop there. In a recent blog post, we shine a spotlight on the future of critical minerals, highlighting how Activate Fellows are tackling the challenges of sustainable resource extraction and mine waste recovery.

For those thinking about making the leap from academia to entrepreneurship, Nature Chemical Engineering just published expert advice, featuring several voices from the Activate community.

Here’s a deeper dive into all of this month’s news.

Join Us at SF Climate Week in April

On April 22, join us for live demos at SF Climate Week. At Live from the Future! A Deep-Tech Investor Expo, we’re teaming up with The Engine Ventures and Breakthrough Energy Fellows for an event where you can meet Activate Fellows and be among the first to get a front-row look at their breakthroughs. From advanced materials to next-gen energy systems, see where hard-tech science prepares to help reshape our world.

RSVP

Activate Fellows Lead the ‘Most Innovative Companies of 2025’

Several Activate Fellow-led companies have been named to Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025, landing alongside iconic brands like Rivian and Google. Among them are Copper (Sam Calisch, Cohort 2020) in the sustainability category, as well as Antora Energy (David Bierman & Justin Briggs & Andrew Ponec, Cohorts 2017 & 2018, Cyclotron Road) and Anthro Energy (David Mackanic, Cohort 2021, Cyclotron Road) in the energy category. Congratulations to these groundbreaking innovators!

Industry Trailblazing in Next-Generation Geothermal

We recently featured a Q&A with Zanskar founders and Activate Fellow alums Carl Hoiland and Joel Edwards (Cohort 2020, Cyclotron Road), talking about why geothermal is one of the most promising sources of untapped renewable energy—literally. They explain that, while there’s enough energy underground to power the globe, most of it is still undiscovered. Zanskar is leveraging R&D breakthroughs in AI and advanced sensing technologies to identify new geothermal sites at an unprecedented rate.

Tandem PV Raises $50M for Next-Gen Solar Panels

Tandem PV (Colin Bailie, Cohort 2016, Cyclotron Road) closed a $50M funding round for its perovskite solar panels, which are thinner, more efficient, and more cost-effective than traditional silicone-based panels. Tandem PV will use this funding to open its first commercial-scale production facility in the United States. Both Axios and Inc. picked up the story, with Inc. calling Tandem PV a “Silicon Valley solar disruptor.”

Join Us at ARPA-E in Washington, D.C.

ReSource (Aanindeeta Banerjee, Cohort 2020, Cyclotron Road) announced $15M in funding, co-led by Khosla Ventures and Fathom Fund, to create a pilot plant for its fossil-fuel-free plastic and specialty chemical products. ReSource says its “breakthrough technology converts low-cost renewable feedstocks, such as CO2 and agricultural waste, into naturally occurring substances that outperform traditional petrochemicals.”

In Our Ecosystem

Upcoming events, relevant opportunities, and what we're reading.

Fellow News

GigaCrop (Chris Eiben, Cohort 2020, Cyclotron Road) announced a $4.5M pre-seed raise led by Playground Global to advance its photosynthesis-boosting technology, which uses machine learning to help plants use sunlight more efficiently.
Direct-air capture company Arbon (Yang Shi & Elvis Cao, Cohort 2023) was a winner of the 2025 Climate Solutions Challenge by the Trust for Governors Island in New York. This year’s awards recognized solutions that enable the circular economy and reduce the climate impact of the urban waste stream.
The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining featured Electrified Thermal Solutions (Dan Stack & Joey Kabel, Cohort 2021), which solves one of the hardest problems in decarbonization—industrial heat—with its Joule Hive Thermal Battery.
Anthro Energy (David Mackanic, Cohort 2021, Cyclotron Road) was awarded $18.4M in federal tax credits to build the first U.S.-owned advanced electrolyte facility. Since January, Anthro has secured a total of $43M in non-dilutive capital to establish the first large-scale facility dedicated to the domestic production of advanced battery electrolytes.
TechCrunch featured Daqus Energy (Harish Banda, Cohort 2024), outlining how the company is using a new material to make better batteries that are lighter and cheaper for use in electric sports cars.
Nitricity (Josh McEnaney & Jay Schwalbe, Cohort 2020, Cyclotron Road) announced $10M in project funding for a first-of-its-kind organic fertilizer facility in California. The plant will unlock a 100-fold increase in production, allowing Nitricity to reach commercial-scale volumes.