UChicago Cleantech Accelerator Resurgence Accepts 5 Startups into its Second Cohort
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in partnership with the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, is pleased to announce the second cohort of startups accepted into Resurgence.
Resurgence connects innovators with resources to drive meaningful change in the cleantech ecosystem. The nine-month hybrid program is designed to support innovative ventures that are focused on four specific areas of the cleantech industry: energy storage and infrastructure; next-generation nuclear solutions; hydrogen and alternative fuels; and materials refinement and process intensification.
Companies accepted into Resurgence gain access to infrastructure, initiatives, and thought leaders across Chicago and the surrounding region. Among this is field-defining expertise at the University of Chicago and its partner institutions, such as Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the Marine Biological Laboratory, and others.
“We are ready to support our new cohort with the full force of the Polsky Center’s entrepreneurial expertise, the thought leadership of our faculty and program partners, the passionate support of UChicago and Booth student talent. The new energy and climate initiatives at UChicago and in the region will certainly amplify the impact of our efforts,” said Ozge Guney Altay, director of Resurgence.
Among these initiatives is the launch of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, an ambitious effort combining frontier research in economics and climate policy, and key energy and climate technologies, with a pioneering approach to education.
“Resurgence represents an important part of our commitment to driving innovation in clean energy technologies,” said Dean Nadya Mason, Interim Vice President for Science and Innovation Partnerships and Dean of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. “By combining the scientific expertise of the University, UChicago PME, and our partners with the entrepreneurial strength of the Polsky Center, Resurgence is uniquely positioned to help cleantech innovators scale their ideas into impactful solutions. We look forward to welcoming our new entrepreneurs to Hyde Park as a vital part of the University’s thriving ecosystem, advancing technologies that will lead to a more sustainable and healthier future for our community, our city, and the planet.”
Resurgence Cohort 2 >>
- AGC Carbon // AGC Carbon Inc. is an early-stage, deep tech startup focused on carbon capture and grid energy storage technologies.
- Air Energy // Air Energy is driving the future of zero-emission transportation with solid-state lithium-air batteries, enabling electrification across the most energy-intensive sector, including aviation.
- Inertial // Inertial is using turbomachinery to capture carbon emitted from fossil fuel-fired power plants.
- Materium Technologies // Materium Technologies is a materials science company developing complex materials, assisted by machine learning techniques.
- Tanda Biotech // Tanda Biotech is developing essential tools to enable scalable, cost-efficient and eco-friendly bioproduction for a more sustainable world.
Resurgence launched in 2023 with an inaugural cohort of six startups, which have gone on to raise more than $18 million and hire more than 25 new employees.
“From my knowledge, this is one of the best and most efficient clean tech accelerating programs that exists in the US. It was rewarding to be a participant and truly accelerate our efforts building a clean tech, hard-tech startup,” said Hamed Heidari, founder and CEO of C+UP.
Among the cohort’s success, Alpha Nur participated in the Cradle to Commerce Summit and secured a CRADA with Idaho National Labs; Blaze Power (now Feynman Energy USA) closed their pre-seed round and opened a pilot manufacturing facility; and C+UP received the first U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Acceleration Research Translation (ART) grant from Illinois Tech
Additionally, ExPost Technology was awarded an $8 million grant from the Department of Energy; Natural Science received the 2024 Nicor Gas Multicultural Innovator Award; and Stranergy moved into their new pilot lab in Seattle after their pre-seed round and was selected for the Clean Tech Open 2024 cohort.
“Participating in the Resurgence program was a transformative experience,” said ExPost Technology Founder and CTO Weikang Li. “The comprehensive curriculum and supportive community helped me develop the essential skills and confidence to run a startup, I highly recommend this program to all new entrepreneurs who devote themselves to the cleantech area.”
// Resurgence is powered by Deep Tech Ventures at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.