Activate Updates: September 2025

After ten years of Activate, we have a new mission aimed at scaling the impact of science for good.

Founded as a small pilot in a national lab in 2015, we spent our first decade growing Activate's one-of-a-kind fellowship, expanding across five communities and transforming 294 scientists and engineers into high-impact entrepreneurs along the way.Now, we’re launching a new chapter, marked by ambitious goals and a footprint that goes beyond our flagship fellowship program.

We are proud to unveil our updated mission: Building the community* that drives science into impact. (And by community*—we mean people committed to hard tech for good, acting together.)

Find out more in this newsletter, and in the coming months, about our next chapter at Activate.

New Leaders to Deliver on Expanded Mission

Three innovative new leaders have joined Activate to help drive our next stage of growth. Amy Gilbert Fehir joins Activate as our Chief Development Officer. Leila Madrone will serve as Executive Vice President, leading a new initiative to broaden entrepreneurial pathways, and leading Activate’s fellowship program on an interim basis as Interim Chief of Science Strategy. Dr. Etosha Cave, an Activate Fellow alum, will lead the Activate New York Community as Interim Managing Director and assume the role of Executive-In-Residence.

Meet Our New CDO, Amy Gilbert Fehir

Activate’s new Chief Development Officer, Amy Gilbert Fehir, brings a track record of scaling scientific impact through fundraising. Most recently, she served as the Head of Development for the Mark Foundation For Cancer Research. After beginning her career as a Park Ranger, she previously spent a decade as Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the organization.

LEARN MORE

Applications for Cohort 2026 are Open

UPCOMING EVENTS

See Us at Tough Tech Week

Activate is heading to The Engine’s Tough Tech Week from October 27–31 in Boston. We’re teaming up with The Engine to spotlight breakthroughs in hard tech, health, and advanced systems through panels, pitches, workshops, and founder-focused events. Join us to connect with fellows, meet our team, and explore how Activate helps scientists and engineers turn transformative research into impact. Register here to attend.

Our Mission Has Evolved—Discover What’s Next

We’ve updated our website to highlight our expanded offerings and show how our programs, resources, and goals are evolving to support scientists leading breakthrough ventures. From new initiatives to enhanced resources, the site reflects how we help scientists take bold ideas from the lab into the world. Check it out to see what’s new—including a first look at our upcoming Innovation Labs program launching this October. Get the resources here.

In Our Ecosystem

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

Fellow News

florrent (Jose LaSalle, Cohort 2023) closed a $9.5M Seed-2 funding round led by MassVentures to accelerate production scale-up of Contoured Carbon™, florrent’s next-generation activated carbon material.

Terra Watts (Kaitlyn Suarez, Cohort 2023) was featured in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Reimagining the Economy project in the article “Behind the Scenes: Stories from America’s Industrial Policy Playbook.”
Tandem PV (Colin Bailie, Cohort 2016) was named by Congruent Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank to their 50 by 2050 list, which recognizes “50 Companies Powering Tomorrow.”
Anthro Energy (David Mackanic, Cohort 2021) was featured in the East Bay Times article, “In the Sustainable Age: How can batteries be safer? A company opening its HQ in Alameda says it has the answer.”
Strativ Group published a spotlight on Dan Stack (Electrified Thermal Solutions, Cohort 2021) and his leadership on innovative new pathways for electrification.
Zanskar (Carl Hoiland, Cohort 2020) was featured on What’s Your Problem, a podcast by former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein, in the episode “Drilling Smarter Wells to Unleash Geothermal Energy.”
Vycarb (Garrett Boudinot, Cohort 2022) was mentioned in the Forbes article, “Scientists Flag Earth’s Carbon Storage Less Than Expected, What Next?."
Nitricity (Jay Schwalbe & Josh McEnaney, Cohort 2020) announced a $50M raise to go global with its technology that transforms almond waste into organic fertilizer.”
Robigo (Andee Wallace, Cohort 2022) was awarded $1.25M in NSF Phase II SBIR funding to advance its engineered microbial solution for Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans.
Juniyali Nauriyal (Photonect Interconnect Solutions, Cohort 2023) was profiled by Engineering.com in “From student to founder: leading the next wave of photonics innovation.”
Peter Godart (Found Energy, Cohort 2022) was named to the 2025 Grist 50 list, which features 50 climate leaders bringing change to their communities and innovating for a better future. “This former NASA engineer is bringing space fuel back to Earth,” they wrote about Godart.
Aepnus Technology (Bilen Akuzum, Cohort 2022) was featured in Forbes Türkiye: “Dr. Bilen Aküzüm’s of Aepnus is preparing for a $25M investment.”
Twelve (Etosha Cave & Kendra Kuhl, Cohort 2015) announced a collaboration with software company Autodesk to accelerate sustainable aviation fuel adoption and climate technology solutions.
FORAY Bioscience (Ashley Beckwith, Cohort 2022) and FAST Metals (Sumedh Gostu, Cohort 2025) were selected for the latest Founders Factory cohort, backed by Rio Tinto, focused on reducing the impact of mining activities and accelerating rehabilitation efforts.
Leah Ellis (Sublime Systems, Cohort 2020) and Tim Latimer (Fervo Energy, Cohort 2018) were included on Forbes’ 2025 Sustainability Leaders list, which “honors 50 people setting the pace for a just, sustainable economy and defining what climate leadership looks like today.”
Brenna Boehman (Cohort 2024) published a piece for NWF, “Reflections from a Fellow: Redesigning Carbon Removal to Serve Communities First.”
Baritone Health (Meagan Pitcher, Cohort 2024) won the Wearable Tech Ventures' Smart Tech Showdown during their AI Summit.
Qunnect (Mael Flament, 2021) partnered with CERN QTI on Quantum Networking Experiments at Newly Inaugurated Quantum Lab.

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