Fellows include: (Top row, left to right) Adonis Logan, Joseph Vellone, Leilani Vella, Guillermo Gutierrez; (Bottom row, left to right) Adriana Esparza, Brian Worfolk, Joseph Kao, Hamilton Perkins, Satpal Kaur

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: Megan Holcomb (megan@labstart.co)

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On March 7th, 2024, LabStart debuted the 2024 cohort selected to commercialize cutting-edge climate technologies from U.S. National Labs and universities. The event took place at Chase Center’s stunning Above the Rim venue, overlooking the San Francisco skyline and waterfront park. LabStart is a nonprofit that exists to build accessible pathways for underrepresented entrepreneurs to bring climate technologies from lab-to-market.

LabStart’s inaugural fellows - ten promising entrepreneurs from across the U.S. - introduced themselves to a room full of potential mentors, subject matter experts, funders, and LabStart supporters. Attendees gathered to celebrate LabStart’s early success and program milestones.

The LabStart Fellowship kickoff week took place throughout the Bay Area March 5th to 8th, including time amongst San Mateo County’s old-growth redwoods, HPE’s Silicon Valley Office, and Chase Center arena. Fellows participate in a year-long, lab-to-market commercialization program that provides promising, underrepresented entrepreneurs with people-first capacity building, access to essential networks, access to public and private capital, and technology licensing expertise and guidance.

The cohort concluded the week together presenting their personal "why," sharing their alignment and commitment to each fellow's selected technology. Cyndie Wang, Board Director of the HPE Foundation and VP of Global Sponsorships and Brand Experience, shared with the cohort, “This building (Chase Center) is a manifestation of people in a room, dreaming about the art of the possible. What can we build that brings together the best technology, sustainability, and community? All of that comes together here.” LabStart’s equity-centric program model addresses just that - the art of the possible.

LabStart addresses the lack of diversity in clean energy entrepreneurship and aims to demystify the complex process of lab-to-market technology commercialization. The LabStart fellowship was made possible by early supporters that include the U.S. Dept. of Energy, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Better Ventures, the Autodesk Foundation, the HPE Foundation, and the State of Colorado. The program centers the resilience of the human journey as the foundation for entrepreneurship. That is why LabStart and essential partners support founders from the earliest possible stage in their startup - before a company is formed and before a climate impact technology is licensed from a national lab or university.

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