Sandia National Laboratories partners with FedTech on Technology Commercialization Program to Form Technology Startups that Leverage National Laboratory Technologies to Address Pressing Needs Among Underserved Communities in New Mexico and Alaska

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 03/29/2023

Albuquerque, New Mexico – Sandia National Laboratories will launch the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Boost Platform, or Boost, on April 4, 2023. The initiative brings national labs, startups, academia and DOE-developed technologies together to find solutions to community-based energy challenges. The launch event will provide further insight into the program for prospective participants including entrepreneurs, mentors and inventors. Register for the launch event here: https://www.boostplatform.org/  

The program is a partnership between Sandia National Laboratories and FedTech, a deep tech venture firm that supports federal labs, research institutions, universities and corporations with programs that span technology transfer, internal innovation, startup studios and business accelerators. This year’s program runs from April to November 2023.

Boost is funded by the DOE Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) and administered

by DOE Office of Technology Transitions. The initiative aims to address systemic challenges, core barriers, and known gaps impeding the commercialization of promising clean energy technologies. The program will demonstrate a novel approach to technology commercialization by building ventures around actionable challenges identified by underserved communities seeking pathways to solutions. In this model, communities most affected by climate change will be actively engaged in the sourcing and scaling of solutions.

Boost will host four workshops in New Mexico and four in Alaska in its first year. In follow-on years, the program will reach other regions of the U.S. The impact of this program will be demonstrated over two years, and two iterations of the Boost Startup Studio.

Mary Monson, who manages the Sandia National Laboratories team that is delivering Boost said, “A fundamental goal of the program is to foster diversity among startups partnering with national labs. Research consistently shows that only a sliver of venture capital funding goes to women and minority startup founders. This national disparity hits diverse states like New Mexico and Alaska especially hard, making it exceptionally difficult for many local innovators to get a foothold in the marketplace. Partnerships with national laboratories can be one source of support to offset this imbalance. Boost adds to the focus on opportunities for New Mexican and Alaskan business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors to further build their states’ tech industry.”

The Boost Startup Studio will form teams of entrepreneurs to work with lab scientists and inventors, exploring company formation around technologies to solve real-world energy challenges. The Studio, delivered by Sandia’s partner FedTech, supports the commercialization of breakthrough technologies from Sandia and other national laboratories. “Boost creates important opportunities to build entrepreneurial capacity and access for individuals from diverse backgrounds that want to explore launching a business around promising DOE technologies,” said Robyn Brazzil, a partner at FedTech. “Creating new ventures based on lab technologies is core to what we do at FedTech at a national level.  We are excited to work with Sandia to localize our program and to serve the needs of the New Mexican and Alaskan communities we are partnering with.”

Boost is delivered in support of the DOE TCF mission. The DOE TCF was created by Congress through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and then reauthorized by the Energy Act of 2020 (EA 2020) to promote promising energy technologies for commercial purposes. Managed by the DOE Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) with regards to their duties to oversee the expenditure of the DOE technology transfer funds, DOE TCF supports multiple technology commercialization programs. Learn more about DOE TCF here:

https://www.energy.gov/technologytransitions/technology-commercialization-fund

About Sandia National Laboratories:

Sandia National Laboratories is America’s multi-mission laboratory conducting science-based research and development that support U.S. national security. For more than 70 years, Sandia National Laboratories has delivered essential engineering, science, and technology to help resolve our nation’s most challenging security issues. The Lab’s’ research staff work at the forefront of innovation, lead collaborative efforts with universities, industry, and other government agencies, and develop diverse research projects with significant potential impact. The Labs accomplish their missions in four strategic areas: nuclear weapons, national security, energy, and global security.

Learn more at: www.sandia.gov

About FedTech:

FedTech is a Deep Tech catalyst at the intersection of breakthrough technologies, entrepreneurship, and mission-driven organizations. Our commitment to unlock the benefits of technology for all is made possible via our deep relationships and collaborations that span across DHS, DOD, NASA, DOE, NIST, VA, federal labs, research institutions, universities, and corporations. We leverage our access to breakthrough technologies and entrepreneurs to keep our partners ahead of the disruption curve. Through our startup studios, accelerators, internal innovation, and technology partnership programs, we work with institutions to commercialize technologies and stay at the bleeding edge of innovation.

Learn more at: www.fedtech.io

Media Contact: boost@fedtech.io

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