Activate Updates: November 2022

Activate Updates

Nov 23

Written By Leanna Yu

This Month's Features

Reasons to Give Thanks
Activate Fellows Aren’t Waiting to Decarbonize the Future
Introducing Chris Thomas, VP Engagement & Strategic Communications

Plus

Activate Fellow wins
Ecosystem news
Job opportunities

*Image by* *Tate Kieto* *| Used with permission vis the Creative Commons* *Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic* *License*

Reasons to Give Thanks

Here at Activate we took note of two recent articles—one in the Economist and one in the New York Times. Is there something in the air? The world is awash in problems, yet there’s a small but exciting group of scientists, entrepreneurs, and funders who are aiming at a potentially better future with real—and perhaps revolutionary—solutions. The Times article quotes Kate Marvel of NASA as saying: “The world will be what we make it.” We agree.

Looking for other reasons for optimism?

Activate Fellows Aren’t Waiting to Decarbonize the Future

COP27 concluded this week with mixed results. As global leaders continue to look for solutions to our climate crisis, Activate Fellows aren’t waiting—they are already urgently building new tools that will make it easier for people around the world to transition away from fossil fuels toward a more resilient, low-carbon economy.

Read on

Chris Thomas Brings a Track Record of Innovation

Chris Thomas joined Activate in October as vice president of engagement and strategic communications. At Activate, he will focus on brand awareness, thought leadership, and audience growth. He is passionate about seizing this pivotal moment in the climate movement and Activate’s unique potential to offer solutions and hope to the world. We welcome his relentless curiosity, daring creativity, and strategic leadership. Read on to learn more about the path that led him to Activate.

Read On

**Intropic Materials Takes Second Place at TechCrunch Disrupt**

Aaron Hall (Cohort 2021), co-founder of Intropic Materials, took home the runner-up prize at TechCrunch Disrupt in October, recognizing Intropic Materials’ embeddable enzymes that trigger plastic to rapidly and completely self-degrade into biodegradable or chemically recyclable small molecules.

Fellow Funding Bonanza

Anthro Energy, co-founded by David Mackanic (Cohort 2021) and Joe Papp, raised $7.2 million in Seed funding co-led by Union Square Ventures and Energy Revolution Ventures. Anthro Energy will use the funds to accelerate the commercialization of its flexible battery technology, which can be used in wearables and medical devices.

Concerto Bio, co-founded by Cheri Ackerman and Jared Kehe (Cohort 2020), raised $23 million in a Series A funding round led by Safar Partners. The company’s first microbial product, “Ensemble No.2” (ENS-002), is designed to rehabilitate the skin microbiome. This funding will enable Concerto to advance this product through first in-human studies, accelerate its discovery platform, and leverage the platform to expand its line of products in partnership with other companies.

Co-founded by Josh McEnaney and Jay Schwalbe (Cohort 2020), Nitricity announced the close of its $5 million Seed funding round led by Energy Impact Partners. The company will use this funding to recruit top engineering talent and accelerate its innovation–fertilizer produced using only air, water, and electricity.

Additionally, Nitricity was selected to join Elemental Excelerator's eleventh cohort and announced a collaboration with the International Fertilizer Development Center to measure GHG emissions from its production and soil application in a lab setting.

AeroShield Materials, co-founded by Elise Strobach and Kyle Wilke (Cohort 2020) and Aaron Baskerville-Bridges, announced its $4 million Seed funding led by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and MassVentures. This funding will enable AeroShield to grow its team and accelerate product development for the world’s most transparent silica aerogel sheets, which can be used for window and door insulation and reduce emissions by up to 65%.

Grayson Zulauf Becomes Dial Fellow with Emerson Collective
Resonant Link co-founder Grayson Zulauf (Cohort 2020) was awarded the Dial Fellowship from Emerson Collective. Joining the organization’s fourth cohort of remarkable cross-disciplinary leaders addressing old problems in bold, new ways, Grayson will receive new communication tools and resources to extend the reach and impact of Resonant Link’s work.

Activate Fellows are #ScientistsOnAMission.

Track our fellows' progress in real-time on our social media feeds.

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

Upcoming Events

Join Carbon 2 Value’s Year 2 Final Showcase on December 1, where it will highlight its Year 2 Cohort companies and milestones from the past year.
Sarah Placella (Cohort 2022) will be exhibiting at the Annual North Coast Wine Industry Expo on December 1, showcasing Root Applied Science’s in-field sensors that alert viticulturists to the presence of pathogens so they can spray fungicide in time to prevent its spread.

Relevant Opportunities

The DOE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization FOA will advance decarbonization technologies that will reduce the carbon footprint of the industrial sector. Full applications are due December 20.
FedTech announced a collaboration with Northrup Grumman to launch a ten-week technology accelerator program providing eight companies with opportunities to participate in mentorship, education, and business development guidance from Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems. Companies with aligned technologies interested in participating in the program can apply through November 25.
National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) is a new DoD initiative that awards Other Transaction (OT) agreements to accelerate productization efforts. NSIC is focused on next-generation hardware technologies for application to connected mobile and edge systems that support distributed operations in land, sea, air, and space domains. Awards will range from $500K and $3 million, and pitches are evaluated as they’re submitted.
The U.S. Department of Energy released topics for its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs, intended to help small business conduct R&D through grants. The funding opportunity announcement will be issued on December 12 and letters of intent are due on January 3, 2023.
Greentown Labs' ACCEL (Advancing ClimateTech and Clean Energy Leaders) is seeking applications from innovative startups with founding and executive teams that are primarily made up of BIPOC leaders who are developing climate solutions for the electricity, transportation, buildings, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors. Apply by December 23.
The next round of the EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions is now open for team registration. This innovative prize, part of the American-Made Challenges program, asks multidisciplinary student teams to identify high-potential energy technologies, assess their market potential, and propose strategies for commercialization—allowing students to learn leadership and entrepreneurial skills while competing for a share of $370K. Registration closes January 26, 2023.

Activate Voices

C&EN named Sepion Technologies, co-founded by Pete Frischmann (Cohort 2016), as one of ten startups to watch in 2022. Sepion was recognized for its work to develop lithium-metal batteries to enable long-range, low-cost EVs.
At COP27, the U.S. Department of State featured Brimstone, co-founded by Cody Finke and Hugo Leandri (Cohort 2019); Nitricity, co-founded by Josh McEnaney and Jay Schwalbe (Cohort 2020); Sublime Systems, co-founded by Leah Ellis (Cohort 2020); and Twelve, co-founded by Etosha Cave and Kendra Kuhl (Cohort 2015) along with a select group of innovative U.S. companies tackling hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Pulsenics co-founders Essam Elsahwi and Mariam Awara (Cohort 2022) also attended the conference.
Vince Romanin (Cohort 2017), co-founder of Gradient, spoke at the Vox Code conference, pushing for heat pumps for home HVAC.
Sam Calisch (Cohort 2020) announced that his new electrification-focused company, Channing St. Copper, is now taking preorders for its battery-powered induction range.

Want us to highlight an upcoming event or relevant opportunity in next month's newsletter? Let us know.

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