Stanford teams move emerging sustainability technologies and business models forward with TomKat Innovation Transfer awards
The TomKat Center’s Innovation Transfer Program awarded grants to 12 new Stanford teams creating ventures that address sustainability challenges. These grants help them prepare their ideas to move out of the university and into commercial markets.
Building momentum
The Innovation Transfer Program was launched to help Stanford teams explore the commercialization potential of their sustainability innovations and inventions. The program supports entrepreneurial teams from across the university, who, with guidance from expert mentors, focus on market opportunities and their product’s critical path for impact. Grants are awarded to develop and iterate prototypes, refine business plans, conduct customer trials and market research, and establish commercial viability.
Cascading impact
Since its inception in the fall of 2013, the Innovation Transfer Program has granted $7.6 million to 132 Stanford teams. The new awardees join a robust and supportive ecosystem of founders, many of whom have led companies to achieve market success, resulting in over $3.9 billion in external follow-on funding and a combined enterprise value exceeding $9.4 billion.
2024-25 grantees
The 12 teams that were awarded Innovation Transfer Grants over the last year are developing both technological and business model innovations in energy efficiency, weather prediction, resource discovery, resilient infrastructure investment, grid monitoring, enhanced geothermal, fertilizers that remove and sequester CO2, energy generation, and sustainable materials, chemicals and fuels.
400C Energy is an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) developer leveraging superhot-capable stimulation technologies to access high-temperature (>300°C) geothermal resources and deliver cost-effective, 24/7 clean power. Jabs Aljubran (PhD, Energy Science & Engineering), Blake Wood (Industry affiliate), PI: Roland Horne (Professor, Energy Science & Engineering)
Airys helps governments identify, apply, and manage financing opportunities for resilient infrastructure projects with data from various federal agencies and generative AI integration. Charles Shi (MS, Management Science and Engineering + BS, Symbolic Systems); Shayana Venukanthan (MS, Earth Systems + BS, Computer Science); Bhu Kongtaveelert (MS, Earth Systems + BS, Computer Science); Madison Fan (MS, Computer Science + BS, Design); PI: Khalid Osman (Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Arinna is empowering humans and machines with abundant solar energy via its paper-thin power-dense solar panel technology. Koosha Nassiri Nazif (Postdoctoral Scholar, Electrical Engineering); Alex Shearer (PhD, Chemical Engineering); Stacey Bent (Professor, Chemical Engineering); PI: Eric Pop (Professor, Electrical Engineering)
Circularity Fuels makes fossil-free hydrocarbon fuels and chemical feedstocks from abundant carbon and renewable energy. Gaurav Kamat (PhD, Chemical Engineering); Stephen Beaton (MBA, GSB); Terry Baggett (MBA, GSB); PI: Thomas Jaramillo (Professor, Chemical Engineering)
Greenhill bridges the gap to widespread commercial heat-pump adoption by deploying its patent-pending drop-in rooftop module, cutting labor downtime from three weeks to just two days and letting businesses start saving energy right away. Mustafa Sultan (BA, Economics), PI: Christopher Gregg (Professor, Computer Science)
H2ive is developing a metal hydride based stationary hydrogen storage solution, offering a safer, more cost-effective alternative to traditional storage methods like compressed or cryogenic hydrogen. Suhani Mohan (MBA, GSB); Chaitanya Gulati (MS, Energy); PI: Stefan J Reichelstein (Professor, GSB)
Hydrify uses AI-driven geological exploration that identifies optimal sites for hydrogen extraction, derisks exploration, and partners with resource developers to expedite production. Yashee Mathur (PhD, Energy Science and Engineering); Henry Moise (PhD, Chemical Engineering); Yalcin Aydin (GSB and MS in Sustainability); PI: Tapan Mukerji (Professor, Energy Science and Engineering)
IronGrid is bringing long-term, fully underwritten warranties for battery systems operating on the grid, leveraging physics-based modeling. Fern Morrison (MS, Chemical Engineering ‘25); PI: Omer Karaduman (Assistant Professor, GSB); Toby Sachs-Quintana, PhD (Advisor)
Kerra is revolutionizing the textile industry by transforming waste wool into a premium, high-performance, and fully biodegradable textile. Alexander Chon (Symbolic Systems Program), Caraiosa O'Farrell (Material Science and Engineering), Jacob Dunlop (Sustainability Science and Practice), PI: David Myung (Associate Professor, Ophthalmology and Chemical Engineering)
Mafix is developing the first fast-acting mineral-based soil additive that restores soil health and boosts crop yields while permanently capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere. More effective and affordable than existing solutions, Mafix delivers measurable climate impact and profitable crop gains within the first growing season, offering a truly scalable path to sustainable agriculture. Jade Marcus (PhD, Chemical Engineering), PI: Matthew Kanan (Professor, Chemistry)
Magnefy delivers a plug-and-play edge AI sensing platform powered by groundbreaking high-frequency, low-noise magnetic sensing and AI digital twin models—enabling affordable, non-invasive, and high-fidelity monitoring of transformers and generators to predict electrical failures weeks to months in advance, prevent costly outages, and optimize grid reliability. Joseph Kao (MSx, GSB), Tim Zhao (PhD, Electrical Engineering), PI: Debbie G. Senesky (Associate Professor, Aero & Astro)
SoranoAI offers an AI-to-AI weather intelligence platform that helps weather-sensitive industries turn guesswork into confidence. Ayako Kawano (E-IPER PhD); Renzhi Jing (PhD Advisor, School of Medicine); PI: Yuan Wang (Assistant Professor, Earth System Science)
