Innovation Crossroads welcomes seven entrepreneurs for Cohort 2024

(Press-News.org) Seven entrepreneurs comprise the next cohort of Innovation Crossroads, a Department of Energy Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program node based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The program provides energy-related startup founders from across the nation with access to ORNL’s unique scientific resources and capabilities, as well as connect them with experts, mentors and networks to accelerate their efforts to take their world-changing ideas to the marketplace.

“Supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs is part of ORNL’s strategy to accelerate transformational energy and manufacturing solutions that are sustainable and resilient, as well as emerging technologies that are vital for the nation’s economy and security,” said Susan Hubbard, ORNL deputy for science and technology. 

New this year, the DOE Basic Energy Sciences, or BES, program is joining DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, or AMMTO; Building Technologies Office, or BTO; and the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, as a program sponsor.

Innovation Crossroads is a two-year fellowship program focused on energy and advanced manufacturing technologies. Through an annual national call and competitive phased process, top entrepreneurial-minded fellows are selected to join the program. Innovators receive a fellowship that includes a personal living stipend, health insurance, a travel allowance, a substantial grant to use on collaborative research at ORNL and comprehensive mentoring assistance to build a sustainable business model.

Cohort 2024 entrepreneur-fellows also will complete the Spark Cleantech Accelerator, a 12-week program offered by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Spark Innovation Center at the UT Research Park.

Cohort 2024 includes:

Katy Bradford, Cassette Construction, is sponsored by AMMTO and BTO. Cassette Construction will produce low-cost, low-carbon wall and floor panels for modular construction using an offsite additive manufacturing process and bio-based materials from rapidly growing plants and waste. This makes the panels carbon-negative and cost-effective. Building construction currently contributes 9% of global carbon emissions, equal to 3 billion tons of CO2 annually. The construction industry also faces a labor shortage, with 41% of the workforce expected to retire by 2031, exacerbating the affordable housing crisis. Cassette Construction reduces on-site labor by up to 89% and minimizes connections by 70%. Their offsite methods enable rapid panel fabrication, potentially increasing industry efficiency and productivity, with an estimated annual profit boost of $265 billion in an $11.5 trillion market. Bradford is currently a BTO IBUILD fellow, researching sustainable construction materials for 3D-printed housing as a doctoral student at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Jordan Cannon, Circular Biosciences, is sponsored by AMMTO. Poly-L-lactic acid, or PLLA, is a widely used bioplastic, with production expected to increase significantly. However, PLLA's limited biodegradability poses environmental risks, as it is not collected for recycling and often ends up in landfills. Bioplastics, including PLLA, are banned from composting facilities, reducing their environmental benefits. Circular Biosciences offers a solution through enzymatic depolymerization, using engineered protease enzymes that break down PLLA into its component monomers at ambient temperatures. The company aims to develop enzymes that withstand high temperatures and can be integrated into PLLA during extrusion. This additive would enhance PLLA biodegradation in landfills, home composting or natural environments. Cannon is a doctoral student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In his dissertation work, he has focused on the identification, characterization and protein engineering of bacterial enzymes that can depolymerize PLLA.

Vinit Chaudhary, Aligned Composites Technology, or ACT, is sponsored by AMMTO. Aligned Composites Technology produces nonwoven mats for fiber-reinforced composites, achieving precise fiber alignment and blending. The anisotropic — having a different physical value when measured in different directions — mats ensure uniform fiber distribution and incorporate diverse reinforcing fibers, including carbon, glass and natural fibers, as well as thermoplastic polymers. ACT's versatile manufacturing allows for fibers up to 250 millimeters, or mm, far exceeding the 25 mm limit of current techniques. Their nonwovens are lightweight, durable and high-performance, suitable for industries such as automotive, marine, infrastructure, wind, transportation, sporting goods and medical equipment. ACT's cost-effective products can achieve up to 1,500 grams per square meter, or gsm, compared to the 300 gsm limit of existing nonwovens, enabling higher performance with less material. ACT sprouted from Chaudhary’s research work during his master’s program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Brian Iezzi, Fibarcode, is sponsored by AMMTO. Fibracode tackles the growing textile waste issue in the U.S., where landfill-bound textiles have increased by 80% since 2000. Despite investments in re-use, repair and recycling methods, poor labeling hinders these efforts. Nearly 30% of end-of-use textiles lack readable care labels, and 40% of labels misidentify material content. To improve data transfer from manufacturing to end-of-use, Fibarcode’s photonic fiber barcodes are integrated into fabrics using standard textile processes. The barcodes can be scanned with portable spectroscopic systems, ensuring accurate, durable labeling. Fibarcode can enhance sorting and recycling, potentially capturing $100 billion annually from landfilled apparel, and has applications in anti-counterfeiting, medical garments, military uniforms and supply chain traceability. Iezzi has more than a decade of experience in textile manufacturing and materials research and development including developing novel yarns at the Gaston College Textile Technology Center and at Parkdale Mills, the largest yarn manufacturer in the western hemisphere.

Kevin Roccapriore, AtomQ, is sponsored by AMMTO and BES. Quantum computing leverages quantum mechanics for incredibly fast calculations to solve complex problems. Current quantum computers use different architectures for qubits, such as trapped ions and superconducting circuits. Although existing quantum computers have around 1,000 qubits, practical applications in fields like energy, pharmaceuticals, finance and cryptography require at least 1 million qubits, making scalability a major challenge. AtomQ aims to overcome this by developing a scalable atomic quantum computer using optically active quantum defects created with scanning transmission electron microscopy. Their platform generates precise qubits rapidly, enabling the construction of large qubit arrays in a compact device. Roccapriore was formerly an R&D associate in ORNL’s Data Nanoanalytics group in the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science user facility. 

Nicholas Sokol, Algaeo, is sponsored by AMMTO. Algaeo makes hardware that allows farmers to grow sustainable, efficient and organic fertilizers on site using micro-algae and artificial intelligence. The company’s technology leverages adsorption to efficiently pull carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the atmosphere to feed algae. Algaeo uses three nontoxic algal strains, which benefit soil health and boost plant growth by providing nutrients, to capture carbon from the atmosphere. Algaeo reduces farmer costs for fertilizer, improves yield and quality, and improves soil health for future growing seasons. Sokol has a background in geography and atmospheric science and has worked across forecasting and field observation and experimentation. He has experience in energy, carbon capture, computational and data science and agricultural sciences.

Tim Vosburgh, Coulomb Technology, is sponsored by AMMTO and TVA. Coulomb Technology is developing and will manufacture novel battery cells for energy storage, backup power and mobility. These batteries are based on zinc, manganese dioxide and sea water, and are safer, utilize abundant materials, are faster charging, and are half the price of the incumbent lithium batteries. Coulomb cells feature a special 3D-electroplated anode. This design helps reduce dendrites — small crystalline structures that can cause battery failure — and corrosion. It is effective even in environments with low pH levels. Vosburgh has nearly thirty years in electronics and contract manufacturing, and a history of entrepreneurship in advanced battery technologies.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.

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