NREL Industry Growth Forum featuring cleantech startups from around the world

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced the 40 presenters for the 2023 NREL Industry Growth Forum (IGF), who represent a range of clean and sustainable technology startup companies from around the world. This is the 28^th year of the event, which is set for May 1 – 3 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado.

“This crop of presenters is truly stellar,” said event manager Sheila Ebbitt of NREL. “They show the continuing broad growth of the clean energy industry. The investors they meet at IGF can help them build the ventures that will impact climate change for the better.”

The 2023 forum will begin with a general session featuring industry leaders. There will also be startup pitch sessions, where the 40 companies get a chance to pitch in four tracks: Early Stage, Commercialization Stage, Growth Stage, and Software Platforms. Pitches are judged live by a panel of investors and top-scoring companies are awarded an Outstanding Venture award, with the overall top scoring startup earning the Best Venture award. Attendees have a chance to vote for their favorite startup. The winner will be awarded the People’s Choice award.

Prior to the event, attendees can schedule up to 12 targeted one-on-one meetings, offering an opportunity for cleantech entrepreneurs to showcase innovative technologies to potential investors. Some of the more than 100 investors who will be at this year’s forum include Energy Impact Partners, National Grid Partners, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, BASF Venture Capital, and the Amazon Climate Fund, among others.

“This year we are also featuring opportunities for investment specifically with software developers in the clean energy space,” Ebbitt said. “Startups who attend have the chance to set one-on-one meetings with investors that can help unite both parties in the push to bring new technologies into the market.”

Since 2003, the forum has hosted companies from 17 countries. This year’s presenters were selected by NREL from more than 189 applicants, ranging from agriculture innovation to grid technology, coming from 29 states and eight countries, including Canada, Germany, and the U.K. More than 150 investors could hold up to 1,500 meetings during the two-day event.

The 2023 NREL Industry Growth Forum presenting companies and their categories are:

Early stage

• Atargis Energy, Pueblo, Colo.
• EvolOH, Menlo Park, Calif.
• Found Energy, Boston, Mass.
• LiBAMA, Vestal, N.Y.
• Lydian, Cambridge, Mass.
• Mars Materials, Oakland, Calif.
• Minus Materials, Boulder, Colo.
• necoTECH, Delaware, Ohio
• New Iridium, Superior, Colo.
• Otoro Energy, Boulder, Colo.
• RenewCO2, Cranford, N.J.
• Renewell Energy, Bakersfield, Calif.
• Sonocharge Energy, San Diego, Calif.
• Tynt Technologies, Boulder, Colo.
• V-Glass, Pewaukee, Wisc.

Commercial stage

• Dimensional Energy, New York, N.Y.
• Ecolectro, Ithaca, N.Y.
• GreenSpur Wind Limited, Stockton-on-Tees, U.K.
• Hexas Biomass, Olympia, Wash.
• Marel Power Solutions, Plymouth, Mich.
• Mocean Energy, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Natrion Champaign, Ill.
• NexWafe, Freiburg, Germany
• Sironix Renewables, Seattle, Wash.
• Summit Nanotech, Calgary, Canada

Growth stage

• BoxPower, Grass Valley, Calif.
• Friendlier, Guelph, Ontario
• Harvest Thermal, Kensington, Calif.
• Ionomr Innovations, Rochester, N.Y.
• Menlo Micro, Irvine, Calif.
• Polystyvert, Anjou, Quebec
• SWTCH Energy, Toronto, Ontario
• UbiQD, Los Alamos, N.M.
• Vutility, Sandy, Utah
• Yotta Energy, Austin, Texas

Software

• Infraclear, Chevy Chase, Maryland
• JET Connectivity, Halesowen, U.K.
• Renew Risk, Winchester, U.K.
• Salient, Falmouth, Mass.
• Solar Unsoiled, Durham, N.C.