Meet the 39 New Activate Fellows Who Are on a Mission to Build a Cleaner, Safer Society
June 6, 2022
Meet the 39 New Activate Fellows Who Are on a Mission to Build a Cleaner, Safer Society
After months of deliberations and weeks of preparation, we are thrilled to introduce our next cohort of Activate Fellows.
These 39 founders are turning their breakthroughs into businesses that could help industries, including manufacturing, energy, chemicals, computing, and defense, meet decarbonization and resiliency goals. Some are charting a new course after years in industry and others are joining straight out of academia. And all of them bring a deep conviction in the power of science and engineering to improve lives and redefine what’s possible.
Today marks a new beginning not just for these new Activate Fellows, but for us, too. Building on the early success of the entrepreneurial research model we developed in Berkeley and Boston, we’ve launched Activate Anywhere and Activate New York in order to support more fellows, in more places, for more impact.
Activate Anywhere
The Activate Anywhere Community recognizes that every U.S. region is home to scientists and engineers with a vision for solving big problems. Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. Activate Anywhere is changing that. The 12 inaugural fellows in this community are located in seven U.S. cities, including Atlanta, GA, Madison, WI, and Fort Collins, CO. They are commercializing breakthrough research in everything from desalination to data center cooling to decarbonized steelmaking.
- Mariam Awara & Essam Elsahwi, Pulsenics
- Olivia Dippo & Andy Zhao, Limelight Steel
- Zach Gilvey & David Hobby, Impact Cooling
- Dan Green & Florian Herrault, PseudolithIC
- Austin Hickman, Soctera
- Margaret Lumley, Roca Water
- Ally McKinney, SoloPulse
- Alexa Schmitz, REEgen
Activate New York
With support from the $19.5 million Carbontech Development Initiative, announced by New York State in April 2021, the new Activate New York Community provides entrepreneurs with the resources and training needed to scale carbontech innovations as society reckons with the need to decarbonize all sectors quickly. Innovations in carbon dioxide removal, utilization and storage, and advances in biomaterials manufacturing and agriculture are among the solutions the six inaugural fellows in New York are pursuing.
- Marissa Beatty, Turnover Labs
- Ashley Beckwith, FORAY
- Garrett Boudinot, Vycarb
- Sudharsan Dwaraknath, Quorum Bio
- Rob Moak, Tensora
- Rob Mohr, Innate Energy
- Jon Vardner, Still Bright
Activate Boston
Joining the Activate Boston Community are 10 fellows advancing the bioeconomy, improving productivity, and enabling more efficient, sustainable clean energy systems. Their applications include unlocking the potential of microbes for a range of applications, sourcing essential materials for renewable energy systems, and boosting efficiency in the energy sector.
- Mo Alkhadra, Lithios
- Terence Davidovits, ThermoBionics
- Peter Godart, Found Energy
- Pavan Kota, Anvil Diagnostics
- Carlos Navarro, Closed Composites
- Andee Wallace, Robigo
- Tim Wannier, Wild Microbes
- Yajing Zhao, Orien Energy
- Auggie Zvinavashe, Ivu Biologics
Activate Berkeley
Welcoming its eighth cohort, the Activate Berkeley Community continues its legacy of hosting fellows who are pushing the boundaries of material science and nanotechnology. These 11 incoming fellows are advancing innovations such as carbon-free production of critical chemicals, turning wastes into circular products, and faster, more efficient computing and energy storage systems.
- Bilen Aküzüm & Lukas Hackl, Aepnus Technology
- Matthew Anderson, Ọsọ Semiconductor
- Behtash Behin-Aein & Jan Kaiser, Ludwig Computing
- Katherine French, BluumBio
- GJ La O' & Haodong Liu, Tyfast
- Danielle Pascoli, VERDE Nanomaterials
- Sarah Placella, Root Applied Sciences
- Daniel Sun, Sunchem
“The Activate Fellows we’ve selected for Cohort 2022, our largest cohort to date, give me tremendous hope,” says Activate CEO Ilan Gur. “Their passion and commitment to improving the world through science provide much-needed optimism and inspiration as the world wrestles with the risks of intensifying climate change, a lingering pandemic, and economic and geopolitical uncertainty.”
Our dedicated, forward-thinking network of sponsors and partners makes the fellowship possible through direct funding, donations of time, money, equipment, or services. In addition to generous philanthropic partners, we are supported by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the California Energy Commission, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
