Empowering Aspiring Hard-Tech Entrepreneurs
Starting new energy-related technology companies can be challenging, and that’s one reason the number of energy start-ups has declined significantly over the past decade. Innovation Crossroads, a Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, is supported by the US Department of Energy—including the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, Building Technologies Office, Office of Electricity, and Office of Science’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research program and Basic Energy Sciences program—and by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The program leverages Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) unique scientific resources and capabilities and connects the nation’s top innovators with experts, mentors, and networks in technology-related fields to take world-changing ideas from R&D to the marketplace.
Innovation Crossroads is a two-year fellowship program that focuses on energy and advanced manufacturing technologies. Through an annual national call and competitive stage-gate process, top entrepreneurial-minded fellows are selected to join the program. Selected innovators receive a fellowship that includes a personal living stipend, a health insurance stipend, a travel allowance, a substantial grant to use on collaborative R&D at ORNL, and comprehensive mentoring assistance to build a sustainable business model.
By embedding the next generation of top technical talent within ORNL, Innovation Crossroads positions entrepreneurial researcher fellows to address fundamental energy and manufacturing challenges identified by industry.
Program Impacts
51
Start-ups supported
342+
Jobs created
$326.8 million
In follow-on funding
23
Start-ups with sales
$1.1 billion
In sales revenue
30
Patents granted
Featured News
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UTK marketing students, startup founders partner for hands-on Innovation Crossroads collaboration
Now in its second year, the collaborative initiative pairs senior marketing students with deep-tech founders to deliver the real-world campaign assets and business best practices needed to help these young companies scale. On Tuesday evening, business leaders, innovators and students gathered for a special edition of Innovation Crossroads. All semester long, a handful of Innovation Crossroads founders
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Ateios Systems Closes $7.25M Series A to Scale Next-Generation Battery Electrode Manufacturing
Ateios Systems has closed $7.25 million in Series A funding to scale production of its next-generation lithium-ion battery electrodes and expand supply to global battery manufacturers. The round was led by TitletownTech, with participation from existing investors Elevate Ventures, VisionTech Partners, Good Growth Capital, Lateral Capital, Techstars, and Keshif Ventures, as well as new investors JHH
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Nth Cycle Announces Landmark $1.1 Billion Offtake Agreement with Trafigura, Expands Operations in U.S. and Europe
Nth Cycle, the revolutionary critical metals refining company, has signed a binding 10-year agreement with Trafigura, a market leader in the global commodities industry, valued at approximately $1.1 billion USD. The agreement was signed as the Trump Administration hosted government and business leaders in Tokyo to discuss energy security at the first Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial
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