Active Surfaces

Imagine a solar panel so thin and flexible it can be attached to anything under the sun. MIT Sloan School of Management alumnus Shiv Bhakta ☀️ (MS/MBA ’24) and his startup, Active Surfaces, are making this vision a reality. In a recent Boston Globe Media article, Shiv shares his vision for a greener future through pioneering advancements in #solartechnology and explains how these revolutionary solar collectors—unlike traditional silicon-based panels made mostly in China—can be manufactured entirely in the U.S. Could this be the future for #SolarEnergy? Learn more at the link below: https://lnkd.in/eX4Cu8Zx

☀️ Scaling The Future of Solar with Boston Solar! ☀️ At Active Surfaces, we’re not just building flexible solar—we’re making sure it works where it matters most: in the field, with real installers. That’s why we teamed up with Boston Solar, a leader in solar deployment, to refine and optimize our ultra-light, rollable solar modules for real-world applications. 🔧 What we learned: ✅ Our panels cut installation time significantly — kWs installed in minutes! ✅ No heavy lifting — reducing costs for commercial projects. ✅ Installer feedback helps us make solar even faster, easier, and more scalable. Huge thanks to Boston Solar for their expertise and collaboration. Their deep industry knowledge and commitment to innovation make them the perfect partner as we push the boundaries of what’s possible in solar. This is a major step in bringing next-gen flexible solar to scale. Let’s make every surface active! . . . Mike Morlino Shiv Bhakta ☀️ Richard Swartwout Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT Sloan School of Management

Boston Solar Active Surfaces

From Classroom 👨🏾🎓 to Clean Energy Innovation⚡️☀️: A Huge Shoutout to Shiv Bhakta ☀️ We couldn't be prouder of Shiv Bhakta, an ACCEL program alum, for making strides in the clean energy industry! What started as an idea in an MIT class has now grown into ➡️ Active Surfaces ⬅️— a company revolutionizing the way solar energy is deployed. Founded alongside Richard Swartwout, this venture began as a business plan and has since transformed into a real-world innovation that’s gaining momentum. And now, it's been featured in The Boston Globe! But this is just the beginning. As Shiv puts it, “Impact is measured by scale,” which means there's more to come (stay tuned)! Active Surfaces is on a mission to deploy more solar modules, bring more clean energy solutions to communities, and push the boundaries of innovation. We encourage you to read more about Active Surfaces's solar modules here. At Browning The Green Space, we’re proud to celebrate this milestone as our alumni continue to innovate in the clean energy sector. #ACCELGraduate #CleanEnergy #Entrepreneurship #SolarInnovation #SustainableFuture #GoGreen #BrowningTheGreenSpace #ActiveSurfaves #Congratulations

🚀 Breaking New Ground: Active Surfaces' First Outdoor Field Test! 🚀 We’ve just hit a huge milestone—deploying our ultra-lightweight, flexible solar modules in real-world outdoor conditions for the first time! Testing at Greentown Labs’ rooftop is a critical step toward scaling our technology and proving its performance outside the lab. This brings us one step closer to revolutionizing solar deployment in environments that were previously off-limits to traditional panels. A massive thank you to our team for working relentlessly to make this happen. And huge appreciation to Joubin Hatamzadeh, Reena Karasin, Natalie Hill, Greg Ralich and the Greentown Labs team for supporting our vision and providing the perfect proving ground for this breakthrough. We're also glad to see the ecosystem come together, with special thanks to Pengxin Dong and Sabanci Climate Ventures for their continued support in Greentown Labs and bridging the lab-to-market gap. This is just the beginning. Scaling solar beyond the status quo starts now. Check out Greentown's post or learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ezxPTEcw.

A new type of solar panel is being tested on our rooftop right now. You heard us right—Active Surfaces’ ultra-lightweight, flexible solar module is 10x lighter than traditional panels, enabling them to be “rolled out” like a yoga mat on top of surfaces like warehouse roofs or even vehicle exteriors. But a key step in developing a new type of solar? Testing it in all sorts of weather conditions—rain, snow, freezing temperatures, and more—to validate its functionality in the real world. That’s exactly what the team is doing in Greentown Boston’s Roof Lab, where our members test prototypes of many types of technologies in an actual outdoor environment. Today, the startup is announcing the success of this rooftop field test, which will allow it to continue fine-tuning its technology in advance of pilot projects with commercial and industrial partners later this year. “Active Surfaces has demonstrated remarkable progress in developing their technology from joining the ACCEL cohort in early 2023 to taking this critical step with their first outdoor field test in 2024,” said our COO Joubin Hatamzadeh. “At Greentown, we take pride in supporting startups like Active Surfaces that are pushing the boundaries of climate innovation and doing so with a relentless focus on solving real problems, validating technology and manufacturing quickly, and creating global impact.” Read our full case study here: https://lnkd.in/eBDCEhGz Read more on Active Surfaces' website: https://lnkd.in/ezxPTEcw

While in Davos at the World Economic Forum, I had the privilege of speaking and participating in an insightful panel discussion focused on Leading Investable Ideas in Sustainability at the Imagination In Action summit. It was an incredible opportunity to share ideas, reconnect with familiar faces (especially Tod Hynes from Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Supachai Kid Parchariyanon from SeaX Ventures), make new connections, and learn from so many inspiring leaders. Excited to continue driving positive change in the energy sector at Active Surfaces . . . . . . . . Tod Hynes; Supachai Kid Parchariyanon #WEF2025 #IIA #Sustainability #Climatetech #ActiveSurfaces #MIT

📸 Breaking News: Boston Globe Feature! 📸 We are thrilled to share that Active Surfaces has been featured in Boston Globe Media for our innovative thin-film solar panels! Our team in Woburn has been dedicated to developing cutting-edge solar technology that is not only cost effective but also lightweight, flexible, and aesthetically pleasing. These ultra-thin panels can be seamlessly integrated into various surfaces, unlocking more solar for more people in more places! A huge thank you to The Boston Globe for the spotlight, to our team for their relentless innovation, and to our supporters who believe in our mission. The future of solar is here, and we’re just getting started! Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eX4Cu8Zx . . . . #ActiveSurfaces #SolarInnovation #ThinFilmSolar #SustainableEnergy #BostonGlobe Greentown Labs Third Derivative Cleantech Open Cleantech Open Northeast / ACT For ClimateTech Swissnex Forbes TEDxBoston TEDx Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship Safar Partners QVT Financial LP Lendlease Sabanci Climate Ventures Type One Ventures SeaX Ventures New Climate Ventures Umami Capital Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT.nano MIT Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) MIT Sloan Alumni MIT Sloan School of Management MIT School of Engineering Vladimir Bulovic Richard Swartwout Shiv Bhakta ☀️ Jeremiah Mwaura

⚡We're thrilled to see our Dir. of Business Development, Dusty Stahl, representing Active Surfaces at Imagination in Action this week in Davos! If you're in Davos, don't miss Dusty's panel and reach out to connect! Let's reimagine the future of renewable energy together. ⚡

🎉 Ribbon Cutting Celebration for Active Surfaces! 🎉 Yesterday marked a huge milestone for Active Surfaces as we celebrated our ribbon cutting for our Manufacturing Research Facility with an incredible community of supporters and champions of innovation. A special thanks to our amazing speakers and investors who made the day even more meaningful: 🙏 Vera Schroeder from Safar Partners 🙏 Lily Fitzgerald from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative 🙏 Ross Palley from Massachusetts Clean Energy Center 🙏 Vladimir Bulovic from MIT.nano 🙏 Pengxin Dong from Sabancı Climate Ventures Huge shoutout to the many incredible attendees who packed the room and showed their support: Boston Solar, Saint-Gobain, Browning the Green Space, Greentown Labs, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Leaders for Global Operations (LGO), City of Woburn, MA, Cummings Properties, FORGE, For ClimateTech, and so many others who have been instrumental in helping us get to where we are today. We are energized to see a full-house and feel the enthusiasm and commitment from our vibrant community. And, of course, grateful for the well wishes we've received from our investors/partners from around the world, including QVT Financial LP, SeaX Ventures, New Climate Ventures, Type One Ventures, Lendlease, and Umami Capital. Together, we’re building a brighter, more sustainable future. Here’s to what lies ahead! 🌞 Press Release: https://lnkd.in/e4VMvQvs #ActiveSurfaces #ClimateTech #RenewableEnergy #SolarInnovation #RibbonCutting #Sustainability #ThankYou #Community