About
In 2026, C2M received 74 applications from early-stage, climate-focused startups across the country. With the support of a 24-person selection committee (comprised of faculty, prospective students, C2M alumni, industry experts, and ecosystem partners), we identified the following nine top-scoring semifinalists.
Based on student preferences, up to eight of these companies will be selected to join the 2026 C2M cohort, which will be announced in May.
4th State Energies
4th State Energies makes drop-in silicon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries using proprietary plasma manufacturing that delivers higher energy density with about 1/20th the capital cost. Independently validated by SpectraPower, supported by DOE SBIR awards and the Activate/Cyclotron Road fellowship at Berkeley Lab.
Aepnus Technology
Aepnus converts industrial sodium sulfate waste into valuable caustic soda and sodium bisulfate or ammonium sulfate using an advanced electrochemical process with 60% less energy. Aepnus is bringing chemical circularity to industries like mining, battery manufacturing, textiles, and pulp & paper, transforming waste streams into the industrial chemicals they need.
Cetos Water
Cetos Water’s novel membrane-less, non-evaporative desalination platform converts complex industrial brines into reusable freshwater and critical minerals using 70% less energy and 50% less capex than conventional technologies—transforming wastewater from a costly liability into scalable water infrastructure for mining, energy, and heavy industry while enabling a circular water economy.
FluxBio
FluxBio develops Microporous Water, a drop-in additive that provides a 10x increase in gas solubility for fermentation systems. By overcoming gas-transfer limits without new equipment, it enables higher productivity and lower energy use. The technology supports economically competitive CO₂-based manufacturing and improves efficiency across fermentation and gas-limited bioprocesses.
GenAlpha Nuclear Technologies
GenAlpha Nuclear Technologies is developing a direct energy conversion fuel that completely eliminates the conventional island of nuclear power plants. This approach could cut both plant size and cost in half while delivering abundant, carbon-free energy for electricity, industrial heat, and future high energy-demand applications.
Orien Energy
Orien Energy’s innovative, thermally driven adsorption heat pump upgrades low-temperature humid waste heat into high-temperature industrial steam with 3–4× higher COP (efficiency) and up to 80% lower CapEx than existing heat pump solutions, unlocking cost-effective waste heat recovery across a variety of industries including pulp and paper, food and beverage, chemicals, and data centers.
PAGE Technologies
PAGE Technologies uses low-cost, multi-analyte electrochemical sensor cards to continuously monitor nutrients and water chemistry in real time. The platform delivers more than 100x lower cost than incumbent probes and avoids the delays and labor of lab testing. PAGE is digitizing water, enabling optimization across agriculture, water reuse, and industry.
PeraWatt Energy
PeraWatt’s first-of-a-kind, critical-mineral‑free magnetic materials deliver 10× higher efficiency in next-generation power systems, enabling dramatically cooler, smaller, and more efficient components in AI data centers, EVs, and renewables. In doing so, we aim to significantly reduce AI’s energy footprint and accelerate the transition to sustainable, electrified technologies.
RETRN Bioworks
RETRN is tackling the global health issue of microplastic proliferation with our advanced biodegradable materials that replace toxic, petroleum-derived coatings in food packaging. Our platform technology converts agro-industrial waste into hundreds of new, sustainable packaging materials with scalable costs, drop-in capability, and a wide application versatility.
