???? Cohort 2025 of Innovation Crossroads Announced

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Innovations Crossroads welcomes six entrepreneurs for Cohort 2025

The 2025 Innovation Crossroads cohort brings together six entrepreneurs who will collaborate with ORNL to accelerate advancements in energy and emerging technologies that strengthen U.S. competitiveness and regional economic growth. Innovators receive a fellowship that includes a substantial grant to use on collaborative research at ORNL and comprehensive mentoring assistance to build a sustainable business model. The program is supported by DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Electricity and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Kevin Roccapriore: The quantum leap of startup AtomQ

Kevin Roccapriore, co-founder of AtomQ and Cohort 2024 fellow, is working to revolutionize atomic manipulation in solid materials, a field with profound implications for semiconductors, quantum computing and materials engineering. Read more.

ThermoVerse wins Lab MATCH Prize

ThermoVerse, Cohort 2023, was awarded $100,000 as part of the Lab MATCH Prize, in recognition of its progress on efforts to license and commercialize ORNL IP. Read more.

SkyNano granted a $1.6M award from DOE

The Department of Energy has awarded SkyNano, Cohort 2017, a $1.6M award to continue their work in developing market-ready multi-walled carbon nanotubes synthesis technology. Read more.

News from the Innovation Crossroads community

Innovation Crossroads Fellows and staff joined LEEP participants from other national labs at Berkeley Commons for Demo Day. Alumni shared successes, including Rajan Kumar of Ateios Systems, which recently won a $1 million investment as part of the TitletownTech Startup Draft to accelerate production of battery electrodes without toxic solvents or forever chemicals.

EarthEn Energy, Cohort 2023 graduate, launched its EarthEn Heat Battery at RE+ Storage in Santa Clara, unveiling a next-generation solution to decarbonize high-temperature industrial heat processes using renewable energy, while enhancing energy resiliency and improving overall industrial efficiency. Read more.

Skuld LLC, Cohort 2023, has sold a Lightning Metal machine to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Their groundbreaking Additive Manufacturing Evaporative Casting (AMEC) technique offers a game-changing, super low-cost approach to metal part production using scrap materials, bound filament, and affordable desktop machines to cast aluminum, brass, bronze, and copper at scale. Read more.

Shift Thermal, Cohort 2017, has raised approximately $1 million in a bridge round to support the next phase of its growth by commercializing its cold thermal energy storage technology through industry partnerships. Read more.

With support from the Tennessee Valley Authority and DOE's Office of Science, Qubit Engineering, Cohort 2023, has launched their first product, Neuro-Grid. Neuro-Grid is an AI-powered tool for real-time, high-accuracy power grid analysis, designed to meet the demands of a modern, evolving energy system. Watch this video to learn more.

Cohort 2026 Information

Applications Open: September 9 – November 7, 2025

Info Session: Innovation Crossroads Cohort 2026 – Learn, Ask, Apply

Are you an entrepreneur interested in learning more about Innovation Crossroads—its qualifications, benefits, and application process? Join us for a live program overview and Q&A with the Innovation Crossroads Team:
   ◦   Wednesday, September 24 | 3:00 PM ET
   ◦   Thursday, October 16 | 2:00 PM ET
   ◦   Tuesday, November 4 | 12:00 PM ET

Register here to secure your spot and learn more about the application here.

Upcoming Events

3686 Conference
Monday, September 8 - Wednesday, September 10 in Nashville, TN
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865 Fest
Tuesday, September 16 in Knoxville, TN
Event Details

2025 TAEBC Opportunities in Energy, featuring the Spark Cleantech Accelerator Demo Day 
Wednesday, November 19 in Knoxville, TN
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