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Big Science in a Big State: Fervo Energy Leader’s Return Home to Houston
For Tim Latimer (Cohort 2018), the energy transition in Texas is personal. He was born in Houston, returned as a drilling engineer in the oil and gas industry, and is now back home again—this time, creating a carbon-free future as CEO and co-founder of Fervo Energy, a Houston-based next-generation geothermal company.
Activate Leadership Council Predicts These Trends in Climate Tech for 2023
Which challenges, opportunities, and surprises will 2023 bring for climate tech? Activate advisors from Impact Science Ventures, Berkeley Catalyst Fund, and Day One Ventures share their insider perspectives.
A Startup Curriculum that Biases Science Entrepreneurs Towards Success
You can’t guarantee that an early-stage entrepreneur will succeed, but you can bias them toward success. This is what Activate uniquely sets out to do by providing funding, networking opportunities, mentorship, research facilities, and community to scientists and engineers who are poised to make a big impact with their innovations.
2022 by the Numbers
By any measure, this year was Activate’s biggest yet. Here are some of 2022’s most significant wins.
A Soundtrack to Innovation
As the year comes to a close, we’ve asked the fellows and team about their favorite songs of 2022. We’ve pulled together the soundtrack to innovation: these are the songs that Activate Fellows and staff sang along to, tapped their toes to, and changed the world to.
Chris Thomas, Activate’s New Vice President of Engagement and Strategic Communications, Brings a Track Record of Innovation
Chris Thomas joined Activate in October as vice president of engagement and strategic communications. He brings a dynamic perspective to Activate, cultivated through years of diverse experiences in Europe and the United States. Though his career has centered around digital strategy, it started in a science lab — or perhaps even earlier — with a homemade computer rig that landed him in trouble (find out how that story ends below!). He ultimately considers joining Activate a “coming home of sorts to the science world.”
Reasons to Give Thanks
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.
Activate Fellows Aren't Waiting to Decarbonize the Future
By Andrew Chang, Activate New York Managing Director. 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.
Getting it done—together—at Climate Week NYC
By Eva Koehler, Activate New York Fellowship Manager. Climate Week NYC is billed as the biggest climate event on Earth. This year’s event, focused on the theme “Getting It Done,” brought together experts from around the world—including Activate Fellows, for the first time.
How the United States is Manufacturing a Supply Chain of Innovators
By Aimee Rose, Executive Managing Director. This country has invested so much in me. Thanks to federal education support, I was able to study science for free until I was almost 30. As a chemistry student and post-graduate, I engaged with world-class researchers at world-class institutions. I translated that education into an explosives detection startup that, also with the help of federal funding, protected U.S. warfighters and the traveling public.
Always Being Prepared: How Activate Fellows are Building a Resilient Future
In light of the catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, we’re highlighting some of our fellows’ efforts to build products for more resilient infrastructure that will help combat the effects of future disasters.
The Search Begins!
We’ve launched a national search, in partnership with a global executive search firm, seeking Activate’s next CEO for a new era of impact.
One. Billion. Dollars.
Nearly a year ago we were celebrating how Activate Fellows had collectively attracted more than $370 million in follow-on funding across six years and seven cohorts. One year and cohort later, it is hard to believe that our 144 fellows and their 106 companies have already surpassed the one billion dollar mark.
We’re now Accepting Applications for Cohort 2023
We’re expanding our fellowship to accelerate impact and meet growing demand.
We've Added Three New Powerhouse Members to our Board
Liesel Pritzker Simmons, investment strategist and principal of Blue Haven Initiative, has just joined the Activate board of directors. She joins Troy Brewster, senior audit manager at Blazek & Vetterling, and Morrow (“Morry”) Cater, founding principal and president of Cater Communications, who joined the board in August 2021.