The funding of multiple innovation projects across the country bolsters the national ecosystem.
The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a pioneering public-private energy technology initiative, has announced its 2025 Channel Partner Strategic Award winners. With $1 million in total funding awarded across seven high-impact projects nationwide, this year’s recipients reflect the program’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the national innovation ecosystem and accelerating the commercialization of clean energy solutions.
Funded by Wells Fargo and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), IN2 is designed to bridge the often daunting gap between early-stage energy technologies and real-world deployment. Through this strategic awards program, now in its eighth year, IN2 continues to nurture a vibrant national ecosystem that connects energy startups with commercial pathways, technical resources, and supportive partners.
Investing in Innovation, Driving Real-World Impact
The 2025 awards target projects that demonstrate meaningful regional collaboration, capacity building, knowledge-sharing, and practical routes to commercialization. Each project received between $100,000 and $200,000, earmarked to support action-oriented initiatives that connect innovative startups with markets, municipalities, and industry partners.
“This year’s awardees embody the bold, collaborative spirit that fuels energy innovation,” said Sarah Derdowski, IN2 program manager at NREL. “By closing commercialization gaps and building partnerships that connect startups with prospective end users, these projects are not just advancing individual ventures—they’re shaping a more resilient and adaptable energy future.”
A Nationwide Tapestry of Innovation
From urban hubs to remote regions, the 2025 Strategic Award winners reflect the diversity and geographic spread of IN2’s ever-growing ecosystem:
- Energy Tech Nexus (Houston, Texas Ecosystem) is teaming up with Browning the Green Space (Boston, MA) to facilitate pilot energy technology projects in Houston, expanding a successful partnership model aimed at serving underserved communities along the Gulf Coast.
- Evergreen Climate Innovations (Chicago, Illinois Ecosystem), alongside Grid Catalyst (Minneapolis, MN), will launch a catalytic investment model to fund early-stage technologies in Minnesota. This initiative includes a replicable toolkit that other regions can adopt to fill commercialization funding gaps—supporting innovation far beyond the Midwest.
- Dominion Energy Innovation Center (Ashland, Virginia Ecosystem) and Spark Innovation Center (Knoxville, TN) are forming a cross-state coalition to better support startups. By sharing events, resources, and networks, the partnership aims to enhance the commercialization pipeline in Virginia and Tennessee.
- mHUB (Chicago, IL) and Centrepolis Accelerator (Detroit, Michigan Ecosystem) are enhancing regional manufacturing ecosystems by developing a support network for hardtech startups. Their collaborative work will increase manufacturing activity and create a smoother pathway to market for energy innovators in the Midwest.
- Cleantech San Diego (San Diego, California Ecosystem) is launching a voucher program to help startups within its Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN) access critical engineering and manufacturing services. This effort will help early-stage companies develop and test prototypes, ultimately reducing investor risk and accelerating time to market.
- Launch Alaska (Anchorage, Alaska Ecosystem) is expanding its Tech Deployment Track accelerator by developing new tools and programming that enable deeper collaboration between municipal leaders and technology startups. This effort aims to advance regional project development and foster mutual understanding between innovators and end users.
- Urban Future Lab (New York, New York Ecosystem), housed at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, will host an event series focused on startup market readiness. Through peer-to-peer workshops and engagement with local organizations, this initiative helps startups develop pilot-ready projects and gain a stronger foothold in the energy market.
Strengthening State Innovation Ecosystems
These award-winning projects serve as critical nodes in the state and national innovation ecosystem. By targeting commercialization gaps and fostering cross-regional partnerships, the Strategic Awards not only accelerate individual startups but also catalyze systemic improvements that ripple across industries and borders.
“The variety of regional representation in these awards, from Alaska to Chicago to Tennessee and more, demonstrates the need for, and potential of, capacity-building and commercialization pathways,” said Jeffrey Schub, head of sustainability at Wells Fargo. “By fostering collaboration and connection among startups, organizations, and municipalities, these awards help support the deployment of energy innovation and resilient solutions nationwide.”
IN2’s focus on scalability and replicability ensures that successful approaches developed in one region can inspire and inform similar efforts elsewhere. The strategic investment in toolkits, knowledge-sharing platforms, and community-based partnerships serves to democratize innovation and ensure that energy technology progress benefits both urban and rural communities alike.
A Proven Track Record of Support
Since the Channel Partner Strategic Awards program launched in 2017, IN2 has awarded over $9 million to 90 projects. Its network of more than 60 incubators, accelerators, and universities continues to grow, forming a robust support system for clean energy entrepreneurs.
IN2 itself is a $55 million initiative focused on taking innovative technologies from concept to commercialization. By linking cutting-edge startups with research institutions, industry experts, and end users, the program accelerates deployment in the built environment and infrastructure sectors—where clean energy breakthroughs can have the greatest impact.
Conclusion
As the world pushes for rapid decarbonization and more sustainable infrastructure, programs like the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator’s Channel Partner Strategic Awards play a pivotal role. By investing in ecosystems—rather than just individual startups—IN2 is helping build the connective tissue needed to move from isolated innovation to widespread impact. The 2025 awardees are not just advancing technologies; they are creating the relationships, infrastructure, and strategies necessary to ensure energy innovation thrives in every corner of the country.
