For Tim Latimer (Cohort 2018), the energy transition in Texas is personal. He was born in Houston, returned as a drilling engineer in the oil and gas industry, and is now back home again—this time, creating a carbon-free future as CEO and co-founder of Fervo Energy, a Houston-based next-generation geothermal company.
Read MoreWhich challenges, opportunities, and surprises will 2023 bring for climate tech? Activate advisors from Impact Science Ventures, Berkeley Catalyst Fund, and Day One Ventures share their insider perspectives.
Read MoreYou can’t guarantee that an early-stage entrepreneur will succeed, but you can bias them toward success. This is what Activate uniquely sets out to do by providing funding, networking opportunities, mentorship, research facilities, and community to scientists and engineers who are poised to make a big impact with their innovations.
Read MoreBy any measure, this year was Activate’s biggest yet. Here are some of 2022’s most significant wins.
Read MoreAs the year comes to a close, we’ve asked the fellows and team about their favorite songs of 2022. We’ve pulled together the soundtrack to innovation: these are the songs that Activate Fellows and staff sang along to, tapped their toes to, and changed the world to.
Read MoreChris Thomas joined Activate in October as vice president of engagement and strategic communications. He brings a dynamic perspective to Activate, cultivated through years of diverse experiences in Europe and the United States. Though his career has centered around digital strategy, it started in a science lab — or perhaps even earlier — with a homemade computer rig that landed him in trouble (find out how that story ends below!). He ultimately considers joining Activate a “coming home of sorts to the science world.”
Read MoreThe world is awash in problems, yet there’s a small but exciting group of scientists, entrepreneurs, and funders who are aiming at a potentially better future with real – and perhaps revolutionary – solutions.
Read MoreBy Andrew Chang, Activate New York Managing Director. COP27 concluded this week with mixed results. As global leaders continue to look for solutions to our climate crisis, Activate Fellows aren’t waiting—they are already urgently building new tools that will make it easier for people around the world to transition away from fossil fuels toward a more resilient, low-carbon economy.
Read MoreBy Eva Koehler, Activate New York Fellowship Manager. Climate Week NYC is billed as the biggest climate event on Earth. This year’s event, focused on the theme “Getting It Done,” brought together experts from around the world—including Activate Fellows, for the first time.
Read MoreBy Aimee Rose, Executive Managing Director. This country has invested so much in me. Thanks to federal education support, I was able to study science for free until I was almost 30. As a chemistry student and post-graduate, I engaged with world-class researchers at world-class institutions. I translated that education into an explosives detection startup that, also with the help of federal funding, protected U.S. warfighters and the traveling public.
Read MoreIn light of the catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, we’re highlighting some of our fellows’ efforts to build products for more resilient infrastructure that will help combat the effects of future disasters.
Read MoreWe’ve launched a national search, in partnership with a global executive search firm, seeking Activate’s next CEO for a new era of impact.
Read MoreNearly a year ago we were celebrating how Activate Fellows had collectively attracted more than $370 million in follow-on funding across six years and seven cohorts. One year and cohort later, it is hard to believe that our 144 fellows and their 106 companies have already surpassed the one billion dollar mark.
Read MoreWe’re expanding our fellowship to accelerate impact and meet growing demand.
Read MoreLiesel Pritzker Simmons, investment strategist and principal of Blue Haven Initiative, has just joined the Activate board of directors. She joins Troy Brewster, senior audit manager at Blazek & Vetterling, and Morrow (“Morry”) Cater, founding principal and president of Cater Communications, who joined the board in August 2021.
Read MoreThere’s lots of excitement building around geothermal energy right now. In one week, two companies founded by Activate Fellows announced new investments totaling $150M. What’s behind (er, below?) the upwelling of interest?
We spoke with interim CEO Todd Johnson about his new role, his long history with Activate, and launching the search for a CEO to lead Activate into its next stage of growth.
Read MoreToday is our founding CEO Ilan Gur's last day at Activate before he takes the helm of the U.K.’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency. Activate Fellows always have been and always will be at the center of Activate, so we’re sharing, with his permission, Ilan’s farewell letter to them.
Read MoreMiguel is passionate about many things, including his family, building community, and making paella. But his drive to become an engineer—and in particular, his interest in combustion and developing zero-emissions engines—propelled him on his academic and then entrepreneurial journey.
Read MoreIt was inevitable that at some point an Activate Fellow would return to the community as an Activate staff member. But that doesn’t make it any less inspiring.
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