image: The 2025 Innovation Crossroads cohort brings together six entrepreneurs who will collaborate with ORNL to accelerate advancements in energy and emerging technologies that strengthen U.S. competitiveness and regional economic growth.
Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Six 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.
"Through Innovation Crossroads, ORNL plays a critical role in catalyzing innovation and collaboration and nurturing early-stage startups,” said Susan Hubbard, ORNL deputy for science and technology. “By providing access to ORNL’s cutting-edge resources, expertise and advanced facilities, we can accelerate advancements in energy and emerging technologies that increase U.S. economic competitiveness and regional economic development.”
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. The program is supported by DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Electricity and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Cohort 2025 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 2025 includes:
Lance Adler. Using a robotic system engineered to prevent ignitions caused by electrical faults, Witching Hour is addressing one of the leading causes of forest fires with a robust and proactive defense system. The technology enhances existing power lines with advanced materials, offering a wildfire prevention solution that is significantly cheaper and faster than installing underground utilities. Adler is an electrical engineer with a strong entrepreneurial background, having founded and operated multiple businesses since 2014. His experience as an engineering contractor at PG&E, where he worked on wildfire mitigation solutions, demonstrates his ability to apply technical expertise to real-world challenges.
Alec Readel. Leveraging ORNL’s proprietary intellectual property, Applied 2D Materials enables the scalable, eco-friendly synthesis of hexagonal boron nitride directly onto target substrates. This offers a cost-effective way to enhance material performance and durability in extreme environments and has been successfully demonstrated on widely used materials such as steels and Inconels, ensuring broad applicability across energy and industrial sectors. The resulting coatings offer exceptional resistance to extreme temperatures, corrosive chemicals and harsh industrial environments, significantly enhancing material durability. Engineered for demanding conditions involving steam, molten salts, hydrogen and corrosive acids, this technology supports a range of advanced systems, including concentrating solar power, advanced nuclear reactors and fuel cells. Readel previously worked at a graphene startup, where he developed industrial graphene synthesis techniques and was exposed to the inner workings of start-up companies.
Evan Stacy. Carbon fiber has many applications in industries as varied as the aerospace, medical and construction sectors. The innovative aqueous photoiniferter polymerization process used by Lumios Materials reduces solvent use, enhances atom efficiency, and lowers processing costs, making high-quality carbon fiber production more scalable and economically viable. This technology improves fiber strength and quality. Stacy is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern Mississippi in the School of Polymer Science and Engineering and will leverage his research expertise in photo-initiated controlled radical polymerization and advanced carbon fiber precursors.
Brian Washington. Aluminum-air batteries deliver high theoretical energy densities, but commercialization has been limited. Traditional aluminum-air batteries require high-purity aluminum and complete replacement of the aluminum anodes within the cell configurations, which can be time and labor-intensive. By using low-cost recycled aluminum, AluminAiry technology not only reduces aluminum waste but also supports a circular economy and enables potential secondary market opportunities while enabling continuous, low-maintenance power generation. Its automated refueling process ensures continuous energy output without the need for specialized personnel, making it well-suited for stationary, portable, off-grid and backup power applications. Washington has previously collaborated with the Army Research Laboratory, highlighting his ability to work with leading experts to advance energy solutions.
Helen Banner. Algae-based biocomposites repurpose algae biomass and agricultural waste into durable materials for packaging and construction. ALGENOVAS’ process transforms supply chain waste into materials well suited for high-demand applications in a range of industries. The process leverages whole algae cells and minimizes energy-intensive chemical processing, resulting in lower production costs and a smaller environmental footprint compared to traditional bio-based materials. Banner has led projects such as 3D printing Mars habitats for NASA. She also managed a $20 million tech venture fund to grow Jerusalem’s tech sector. Banner has received several fellowships, including from the National Science Foundation.
Viktor Zenkov. A significant portion of data center energy consumption is due to cooling systems, driving energy demands and costs up. Effusio’s IOCOOL technology integrates advanced chemical engineering with conventional vapor compression and vapor absorption refrigeration methods to deliver a highly efficient two-phase liquid cooling system. Designed to eliminate the need for water, IOCOOL maintains a compact footprint, making it easily adaptable to existing data center infrastructures and ideal for retrofitting systems that use cold plates. Engagement from the National Center for Computational Sciences is already underway, further reinforcing the strategic value and technical promise of this technology. Zenkov is a doctoral candidate in computer science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where his research has been interdisciplinary, involving machine learning, microbiology, chemistry and malware problems.
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. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. – Brynn Downing