Activate Updates: April 2025

Activate Updates

Apr 30

This month, Activate traveled around the world to broaden the possibilities of hard-tech innovation. Thanks to our domestic and international partners, Activate hosted and participated in two great events: SF Climate Week and the U.S.-Singapore Workshop on Deep Tech Innovation & Partnerships. Both events allowed our fellows’ technology to shine and supported fellow-led companies in gaining access to critical markets.

Wherever tech research and development is happening, we want Activate to be there to accelerate the path to market. Importantly, Activate’s support of these innovations is made possible by a network of partners who believe in the power of hard-tech entrepreneurship to shape a better future.

Here’s a deeper dive into all of this month’s news.

Showcasing the Next Generation of Climate Tech at SF Climate Week

At SF Climate Week, 30+ innovators showcased hands-on demos of their tech at our “Live From the Future: Deep-Tech Investor Expo,” which was hosted by Activate and joined by our partners at Breakthrough Energy Fellows and The Engine Ventures.

Strengthening U.S. Leadership in Deep-Tech Through Global Partnerships

Earlier this month, Activate participated in the U.S.–Singapore Workshop on Deep Tech Innovation & Partnerships, which brought together leaders from government, industry, academia, and investment to explore ways to accelerate deep-technology advancements in sectors that are critical to economic and national security. Activate’s CEO Cyrus Wadia, Activate Fellow alum board member Andrew Hsieh, VP of Strategic Initiatives Sarah Morrill, and several fellows represented Activate. Many thanks to our outstanding partners at National Research Foundation Singapore, Enterprise Singapore, and workshop co‑chairs Michelle Meng-Hsiung Kiang and David Horsley.

Activate Fellow-Founded Companies Sweep NREL’s 2025 Industry Growth Forum

Activate Fellow-founded companies swept the pitch competition at the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 National Renewable Energy Laboratory Industry Growth Forum. Congratulations to Sunchem (Daniel Sun, Cohort 2022, Cyclotron Road), Sepion Technologies (Peter Frischmann, Cohort 2016, Cyclotron Road), and Tandem PV (Colin Bailie & Chris Eberspacher, Cohort 2016, Cyclotron Road) on being recognized as top venture opportunities.

Qunnect: Industry Trailblazer in Quantum Internet

At the forefront of building the quantum internet, Mael Flament (Qunnect, Cohort 2020) has spent the last decade turning laboratory research into deployable infrastructure. Find out how Flament has navigated the world of deep-tech commercialization, with Activate’s support, while helping grow Qunnect into one of the most advanced quantum technology startups in the world.

In Our Ecosystem

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

Fellow News

Six Activate Fellow-led companies have been named to TIME’s list of the World’s Top Greentech Companies of 2025, including Fervo Energy (Cohort 2018), Antora (Cohorts 2017 & 2018), Tandem PV (Cohort 2016), Brimstone (Cohort 2019), Sublime Systems (Cohort 2020), and Twelve (Cohort 2015).
Thalo Labs (Brendan Hermalyn, Cohort 2021) launched the first direct air capture system in a U.S. transit hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.
TechCrunch featured PHNX Materials (Krish Mehta, Cohort 2024) and the company’s recent $2.5M raise to continue their work unlocking new supplies of fly ash to decarbonize the cement industry.
Justin Silpe and his team at PumpKin (Cohort 2024) showcased their work on stabilizing breast milk on their local news channel with NJ Spotlight News.
Vycarb (Garrett Boudinot, Cohort 2022) was featured in Tech Brew, which highlighted the launch of the company’s third pilot.

Power Technology covered Fervo (Tim Latimer and Jack Norbeck, Cohort 2018, Cyclotron Road), signing a power purchase agreement with Shell Energy for 31 megawatts of geothermal power from the company’s Cape Station geothermal project.
Fervo was also heavily featured in an article from Institute for Progress on their pioneering work with DOE’s FORGE program at their pilot in Utah.

Aeroshield (Elise Strobach, Cohort 2020) won the “sustainable construction and infrastructure” category of the Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge.
Amazon has backed Brimstone (Cody Finke, Cohort 2019, Cyclotron Road) to help curb building emissions as part of its $2B Climate Pledge Fund.
Umaro (Amanda Stiles, Cohort 2020) was featured in Broomfield Enterprise as “the startup behind Shark Tank’s seaweed-based bacon.”
Noon Energy (Chris Graves, Cohort 2018, Cyclotron Road) has expanded its executive team to support accelerated business growth in 2025.
Osmoses (Holden Lai and Francesco Benedetti, Cohort 2021) won a $200K grant from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program to scale up its industrial decarbonization technology.
Black Flag VC compiled a peer-nominated list of 100 deep-tech companies, which includes Limelight Steel (Olivia Dippo & Andy Zhao, Cohort 2022) and Nitricity (Josh McEnaney & Jay Schwalbe, Cohort 2020, Cyclotron Road).
Brimstone (Cody Finke, Cohort 2019, Cyclotron Road) and Fervo (Tim Latimer & Jack Norbeck, Cohort 2018, Cyclotron Road) were named to Inc.’s list of 11 climate-tech companies to watch in 2025.