Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program innovator Raymond Weitekamp and team member Corinne Allen utilize the resources at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Molecular Foundry to analyze sustainable advanced materials. Weitekamp was selected to be part of Cyclotron Road, the founding node.
Developing the game-changing technologies needed to transition the world to a clean energy future isn't easy. Bringing clean energy technologies to market requires strong capital investment, access to scientific tools and facilities, and lengthy development timescales. Within this challenging innovation environment, we risk a lost generation of clean energy entrepreneurs dedicated to changing how we generate and use energy. EERE created the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) to provide an institutional home for researchers to build their research into products and train to be entrepreneurs. LEEP is funded by EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, and co-managed with EERE’s Technology-to-Market Program.
Developing the Next Generation of Cleantech Entrepreneurs
LEEP takes top entrepreneurial scientists and engineers and embeds them within the U.S. national laboratories to perform applied research and development (R&D) with the express goal of launching a clean energy business.
In addition to technological access and support, LEEP trains innovators to develop entrepreneurial acumen and skills, while introducing them to the ecosystem partners needed to facilitate commercial and investment opportunities.
This dual focus on R&D and entrepreneurial development provides innovators with the platform they need to take their ideas from the lab and onto the commercialization pathway.
Cleantech Innovation and America’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
U.S. national labs play an important role in developing the entrepreneurial ecosystems in their respective regions. Each hosted by a lead laboratory, individual LEEP nodes are designed to leverage the unique strengths within their respective regional entrepreneurial ecosystems. Currently, there are three LEEP nodes:
- Cyclotron Road at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
- Chain Reaction Innovations at Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois
- Innovation Crossroads at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Harnessing the ingenuity of America’s cleantech innovators is critical for our transition to a clean energy economy. LEEP provides a home for top energy technology entrepreneurs where they can develop and scale their technologies and have a sustained impact on our energy future.