West Gate applications now open! Are you a #cleanenergy pioneer, scientist, or innovator? We are now accepting applications for our next cohort. If you have a promising #cleantech venture, this is a career-changing opportunity to accelerate your #startup with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s support. 📆 Application Deadline: Nov. 8, 2024 🔗 Eligibility & Info: westgate.nrel.gov
About us
The West Gate Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers promising entrepreneurs a career-changing opportunity to access NREL’s expertise and capabilities to speed the development of their startup’s core technologies. Aspiring entrepreneurs aim to tackle the world’s greatest challenges of fostering clean energy. Selected innovators’ core technologies align with NREL’s research mission to advance energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and renewable power to optimize energy systems. West Gate embeds innovators at NREL and the Colorado School of Mines and pairs them with scientists who specialize in the innovators’ technology areas. Throughout our program’s two-year runway, innovators work with scientists in NREL and Mines’ world-class laboratories to de-risk their technologies, ready them for market, and grow their startup companies. West Gate benefits include: • An annual living stipend of $115,000 • Two-year technical assistance funding of $150,000 redeemable at NREL • Curated, individualized programming • Entrepreneurial curriculum, mentorship, and support • Healthcare and relocation stipends as needed. West Gate is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office’s fourth Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program. West Gate is administered by NREL’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. West Gate innovators are supported by DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and Building Technologies Office.
- Website
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https://westgate.nrel.gov
External link for West Gate
- Industry
- Research
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- Golden, CO
- Type
- Government Agency
- Founded
- 2021
Locations
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Primary
15013 Denver W Pkwy
Golden, CO 80401, US
Employees at West Gate
Updates
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is hosting an informational webinar on improving the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will present information on the LEEP Request for Information, encourage audience members to respond, and provide an opportunity to answer questions. Those interested in LEEP, including national laboratories, industry, academia, government agencies, and others are encouraged to attend. Register today: https://lnkd.in/gP_4sWKS
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🤝 💡 Get to know Heather A. S. Platt, a member of West Gate Cohort 3 working to promote the use of sodium-ion #batteries. Lithium-ion batteries can be unsafe in population centers and are often expensive, limiting the ability for widespread use of battery energy #storage. Heather and her company, Mana Battery, are advancing the use of sodium-ion batteries as a valid alternative by supplying affordable, long-lasting high-energy cells. During West Gate, Heather will test and evaluate the performance and lifespan of Mana’s pouch cells, a type of battery used in cell phones and battery packs for grid storage, in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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🤝 💡 Get to know Simon Julien, a member of West Gate Cohort 3 working to provide grid-flexible #solar energy. Solar power is often unreliable due to cloud coverage, so many still favor fossil fuels for their consistency, limiting solar adoption. Julian and Latimer Controls, Inc. can reallocate lost power from shaded areas in real time, reducing unnecessary solar losses and ensuring more dependability. During West Gate, Simon is testing Latimer’s software-only solution with real power grid simulations at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Energy Systems Integration Facility.
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🤝 💡 Get to know Michael Solomentsev, a member of West Gate Cohort 3 working to address #energy usage in data centers. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centers consumed roughly 4% of all electricity in 2022 in the U.S., and that demand will only increase with the rise of energy-intensive artificial intelligence. Michael and Palanquin Power want to reduce losses in power conversion for #DataCenters with an ultra-efficient solution for rack-level data center power delivery. During West Gate, Michael will develop a full-power demonstration system in collaboration with National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s power electronics engineers.
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🤝 💡 Get to know Spencer Whitman, a member of West Gate Cohort 3 using #CDR to address #mining waste. Post-mining pit lakes present environmental hazards for communities and ecosystems, as well as financial liabilities for mining companies. Through Aquarry, Spencer captures atmospheric #CarbonDioxide and reduces #water contamination in pit lakes by adding alkaline materials, resulting in the formation of carbon and metal-rich minerals that are securely stored in the #PitLake. During West Gate, Spencer will validate and optimize this method by leveraging the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s lifecycle analysis and high-performance computing expertise.
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🤝 💡 Get to know Julia Curley, a member of West Gate Cohort 3 working to address our planet’s #plastic problem. Roughly half of all plastics are used only a single time before being discarded, with most ending up in a landfill or leaching into the environment. With EsterCycle, Julia is using alcohol and a simple catalyst to break down #bioplastics into their original building blocks. She can then transform these basic components to make recycled plastics with like-new properties and decreased environmental impacts, enabling #circularity for bioplastics. During West Gate, Julia will demonstrate the feasibility for scaling up and generate sufficient material for industry partners to test.
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) has issued a request for information to solicit feedback from national laboratories, industry, academia, government agencies seeking input from stakeholders across the #CleanEnergy innovation and #entrepreneurship ecosystem regarding optimal strategies and opportunities to expand the quality, reach, impact, and equity of the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP). Since its inception, LEEP has supported 202 fellows who've had a vast impact: 153 new businesses founded, more $2.74B in follow-on capital received, and 2,358 new domestic jobs generated. Learn more about the RFI: https://bit.ly/3SoBfhW
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In the wake of the Marshall Fire in Dec. 2021, Cohort 2 innovator Lisa Morey’s mission to provide a more natural, sustainable approach to home #building has gained significant attention. Her earthen blocks are 90% more efficient than traditional home materials and designed to become even stronger in #wildfires. We are excited to support Lisa and Nova Terra (aka Colorado Earth LLC) in home #construction innovation that will not only help neighborhoods be more resilient, but also reduce our dependence on #cement. Learn how EcoBlocks are made and used with Shelley Schlender and Voice of America: https://lnkd.in/grND5vXR