The Clean Energy Business Network is the small business voice for the clean energy economy. We serve 6,000+ clean energy technology and service providers across all 50 U.S. states and across every aspect of the clean energy economy, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, natural gas, carbon sequestration, and other advanced energy technologies. We are an independent, small business division of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.

In March and April 2022, we connected member businesses virtually from across the nation to policymakers in Washington to discuss FY 2023 appropriations for the U.S. Department of Energy, in addition to proposed provisions in the US innovation bill. All these businesses have helped bring new technologies to market thanks in part to support from DOE programs. Participants briefed Congressional offices on the outcomes of these projects and other clean energy policy, and the ways their companies are creating jobs and growing the economy. Bios of the 43 participating companies can be found below.

Advanced Energy Materials, LLC – Vasanthi Sunkara, CEO & President
Louisville, KY | 11 Employees

Advanced Energy Materials, LLC (ADEM) was founded in 2009 with a vision to commercialize nanowire materials for lithium-ion batteries and energy storage applications. The company has since found its niche application in the catalysis market and has developed catalyst products for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and refinery applications. ADEM has received multiple Phase I and II SBIR awards from DOE and NSF. The firm continues to develop advanced nanomaterials for a wide range of applications. Its products can replace current state-of-the-art catalysts for traditional refining using hydrogen and new refineries that do not use hydrogen.

All Power Labs, Inc. – Justin Anthony Knapp, Grants Manager
Berkeley, CA| 24 Employees

All Power Labs designs, manufactures and deploys mobile biomass gasification systems that convert waste biomass (such as wood chips, nut shells, and other forestry and agricultural wastes) into electricity, heat, and biochar. Our primary product line is the PP30 Power Pallet—a small-scale gasification generator that produces 25 kW of electrical power and 50 kW thermal power. Based in Berkeley, California, APL has a decade-long track record as a global leader in biomass gasification innovation, holding over a dozen patents and shipping hundreds of systems to projects in over 40 countries around the globe.

American Semiconductor, Inc. – Doug Hackler
Boise, ID

Doug has managed over 20 SBIR projects including Phase I, II and III contracts. He has provided briefings for SBA regarding the challenges and limitations associated with commercialization of SBIR research. Doug is currently working in support of U.S. CHIPS legislation to help bridge the gaps in funding necessary to not only invent new technology in the U.S., but to manufacturer new technology in the U.S.

Ampcera Inc. – Hui Du, CTO
Tucson, AZ

Ampcera is a leading company in solid state electrolyte materials, which is the core in the solid-state battery supply chain. Ampcera has received two SBIR and one VTO. This funding enables the company to hire more people, and funds the research and development of new products.

Bergey Windpower Co. – Michael Bergey, President & CEO
Norman, OK | 22 Employees

Bergey Windpower is a 40-year-old family-owned small wind manufacturing company. Department of Energy cost-shared research funding allowed the firm to take an aggressive approach to redesigning its residential/farm turbine and streamlining its installation. Together this research reduced the firm’s LCOE by 60%. Bergey’s new 15 kW turbine, with 90% domestic content, can now compete with imported solar and provide consumers with more choice in clean energy technologies. DOE is now helping the firm develop a home microgrid system and a new distributed energy resource focused business model for rural electric cooperatives. Bergey Windpower has also received one SBIR contract from DOE.

BST Systems – Bryan Hirschorn, Research Manager
Plainfield, CT| 50 Employees

BST Systems is developing a novel technology called a Spontaneous Electrolyzer, which delivers low-cost, green hydrogen for gas grid applications. BST Systems has developed this technology under IR&D and SBIR programs. The firm was recently awarded a DOE SBIR Phase I Award to support the development of its green hydrogen technology.

Compact Membrane Systems – Christine Parrish & Stuart Nemser
Newport, DE| 27 Employees

Compact Membranes Systems is an advanced materials company in Newport, Delaware committed to developing its Optiperm™ membrane technology to enable the clean energy transition. The firm’s latest work focuses on delivering low-cost carbon capture for point source solutions. This breakthrough technology harnesses the power of facilitated transport. To pursue this fundamental membrane research, Compact Member Systems received a Phase I DOE SBIR grant. The grant has allowed the company to investigate material properties at the fundamental level in order to understand the underlying performance as CMS scales and improves this technology.

E3Tec Service – Dr. C.B. Panchal
Hoffman Estates, IL

Founded in 2007 as a spin-off from Argonne National Laboratory, E3Tec provides consulting services to major petroleum companies including Chevron, Shell Global, Reliance India and ExxonMobil for mitigation of petroleum fouling, energy efficiency technologies and removing technical and economic barriers of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). Furthermore, the team has developed an array of diverse technologies including the Heat Integrated Reactive Distillation (HIRD) processes which improves industrial energy efficiency. E3Tec has received Phase I and Phase II funding from the Department of Energy SBIR in 2015 and 2019.

ecoLong – Nancy Min, Founder
Slingerland, NY

ecoLong develops solutions that use blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and IoTs to enable peer-to-peer transactive energy. This technology will fundamentally reduce the levelized cost of solar power and improve the economics of distributed energy generation for prosumers, consumers, and utilities. This solution empowers prosumers through personalized energy management optimization and trading. ecoLong’s technology facilitates integration of DER into the grid to enhance grid benefits of improved system reliability and flexibility through demand response/grid ancillary services. The technology also enables more efficient utilization of existing grid infrastructure and reduced GHG emissions. ecoLong has received Phase I and Phase II funding from the Department of Energy SBIR.

ElectraMet – James Landon, CTO
Lexington, KY | 23 Employees

ElectraMet was founded in 2014 to apply advanced carbon electrode technologies to deliver targeted solutions for sustainable water treatment. The firm has won multiple Phase I and II SBIR awards from DOE, NSF, and NIH. ElectraMet has produced a powerful and chemical free water treatment platform that harnesses carbon electrode technology to actively attract, immobilize, and filter metals with over 99% selectivity and no sludge production for 100% water recovery. Applications include copper and chrome removal and recovery from industrial wastewater streams.

Engine Systems Innovation, Inc – Steve Arnold, Founder
Washington, UT| 1 Employee

Founded in 2008, Engine Systems Innovation, Inc. is dedicated to fuel efficiency technology for engines and turbochargers, including future engines using zero-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels.  Its Continuously Variable Displacement (CVD) Engine will improve fuel efficiency by around 30%. DOE SBIR Phase I and II grants were crucial to making significant progress on the design, manufacture, and test of a prototype. Engine Systems Innovation is currently seeking additional funding to validate the application of this technology to other machines–air compressors, refrigeration, Waste Heat Recovery, and more.

Flash Steelworks – Gary Cola, President
Washington, MI | 3 Full-time, 2 Part-time Employees

Flash Steelworks is the innovator of technology to make steel lighter and stronger, with dramatic potential benefits for fuel efficiency (i.e., vehicle lightness), military applications, and a range of other beneficial uses. The company is based in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and has worked with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to help develop the technology. Since 2014, the firm has received support from seven SBIR Phase I, II, and III awards. Flash received its first Phase III from the Dept. of Energy in 2017 for coil-to-coil Flash Processing of sheet steel for Automotive lightweighting. The firm is now at the commercial stage, with plans to build a 34,000 sq.ft. facility in Middlesboro, Kentucky, making use of the infrastructure and railroads that have historically supported the coal industry. In the past year, Flash Steelworks has worked with the Dept. of Defense bringing its technology to the military. Through a $12M DOD Phase III SBIR grant, Flash Steelworks has secured $4M in federal funding for a facility in Michigan and $8M in federal funding for the facility in KY. It is estimated 100 direct jobs will be created in Kentucky while Michigan should see 50-60, both in about 3-5 years or sooner.

GenNext Materials & Technologies – Ravi Subramanian
Reno, NV | 1 Employee

The mission of GenNEXT Materials & Technologies LLC (GMT) is to design and develop sustainable and scalable technologies for advancing and improving processes and system efficiencies related to energy and environment. GMT’s goal is to collaborate with academic and industry partners and offer customized solutions in the form of processes, devices, and systems to address the requirements of clients in niche areas. We work with a diverse and interdisciplinary team of material scientists, chemists, engineers, medical professionals, and technologists. Our collaborative efforts provide cutting edge solutions to basic and applied research outcomes related to advanced manufacturing, environment, and energy generation/conversion. To date, GMT has obtained two SBIR Phase I grants from the Department of Energy and one SBIR Phase I grant from NASA.

GlycoSurf, Inc – Chett Boxley, CEO
Salt Lake City, UT | 7 Employees

GlycoSurf is an R&D company focused on the utilization of green sugar-based surfactants for the recovery of metals (such as rare earth elements or uranium) from wastewater or contaminated wastewater sources. GlycoSurf has received six SBIR/STTR awards to date (five Phase I, and one Phase II).

Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce –Esteban Perez, Director of LatinX Incubator
Chicago, IL

The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has received millions of dollars in federal, state, and municipal support over the past decades. IHCC runs SBDC, PTAC, Tollway, and SBTRC Technical Assistance centers for thousands of small businesses across the state, some even in different parts of North and South America. The LatinX Incubator directly hosts many tech companies, many of them transitioning into clean technology, to provide entrepreneurial education and access to capital.

InnoCit, LLC – Mehdi Ferdowsi, CEO & Pourya Shamsi, CTO
Saint James, MO | 4 employees

Founded in 2014, InnoCit LLC is a technology transfer and product development company focused on the development of power electronic converters using the state-of-the-art technologies such as wide bandgap devices and digital signal processors. To date, InnoCit has been the recipient of DOE SBIR Phase I, Phase II, and Phase II-B for the development of Gallium-Nitride-based power converters to integrate battery storage systems within the utility grid to improve grid’s stability in coping with renewable energy intermittencies. It has also been awarded a NSF SBIR Phase I grant on an advanced ripple canceling inverter topology to reduce the size, weight, manufacturing and shipping/handling costs of solar inverters.

Intergrid – Robert Wills, President
Temple, NH | 5 Employees

Intergrid designs power electronics for distributed wind systems and has received an NREL grant and a DOE SBIR Phase I. Based out of New Hampshire, Intergrid also works in Oklahoma, Texas, and Alaska. Intergrid President Robert Wills also serves on the board of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA). Following the impact of the loss of the ITC tax credits in 2018, federal funding grants have been crucial for Intergrid. Although distributed wind is currently a small industry in the United States, this form of renewable energy can play an important role in the clean energy transition, as most distributed wind supports schools, businesses, and farms.

Leap Photovoltaics– David Berney Needleman, Founder
San Francisco, CA

Leap Photovoltaics is developing a revolutionary process to manufacture crystalline silicon solar cells without wafers. Our additive manufacturing approach can achieve the same performance and reliability as traditional solar cells at half the cost using an entirely domestic supply chain. This unique combination leaps the barriers of thin margins and supply chain disruptions that are holding back the explosive growth in solar manufacturing that we need to achieve our decarbonization goals. The firm has been selected for a CalSEED Concept Award by the California Energy Commission, semifinalists in the ongoing US DOE American-Made Solar Prize Round 5, CleanTech Open 2021 National Runner-up and People’s Choice Award, and US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce’s “What’s Your Pitch” Competition National Runner-up.

Mithra Technologies – John Gleaves Jr, Shop Foreman / Builder / Designer
Foley, MO | 5 employees

Mithra Technologies is one of the few machining facilities that specializes in the development of scientific equipment, specifically catalyst evaluation instrumentation and multiphase reactor systems. Its staff combines Ph.D. engineering scientists with skilled machinists to develop novel instrumentation to address the experimental challenges of the laboratory. Mithra received a DOE SBIR Phase I grant in 2020 for the development of a fast gas delivery system that will enable transient spectrokinetic measurements that can provide researchers with new fundamental understanding of how the structure and composition of a complex industrial catalyst can be manipulated to improve the energy efficiency of a chemical reaction.

Molecule Works Incorporated – Mitch Odinak, Chief Commercial Officer
Richland, WA | 10 Employees 

Molecule Works develops, manufactures and markets high performance, ultra-thin metallic/ceramic membranes. The company was originally founded based on technology licensed from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and has since received $3M+ in ARPA-E and SBIR awards to support further R&D. Products under the Molecule Works portfolio include electrode materials for large scale energy storage and water selective membranes for high efficiency and refrigerant free air conditioning.

NanoGraf Corporation – Kurt (Chip) Breitenkamp, VP-Business Development
Chicago, IL | 31 Employees

NanoGraf Corporation (formerly known as SiNode Systems) is an advanced battery materials company from Chicago, Illinois. The firm is developing new materials to enable high energy and high-power batteries for a variety of industries including electric vehicles and renewable energy storage solutions.  NanoGraf Corporation received its initial company funding from the DOE SBIR Phase 1 in 2012 and successfully transitioned to a DOE SBIR Phase II grant in 2014. After completion of the DOE SBIR Phase II, NanoGraf has remained engaged with the DOE through grant contracts with the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, whose members include the Department of Energy, Ford, Chrysler, and GM.

New Venture Labs – Rick Ritter, Director
Meridian, ID

New Venture Labs helps startup founders build a team of cofounders, collaborators, and financiers to support the successful growth of their companies. Rick Ritter has had a role in SBIRs for multiple companies in Idaho.

Nhu Energy – Rick Meeker, President
Tallahassee, FL

Through support from a DOE STTR Phase I and II Award, Nhu Energy is working to demonstrate and commercialize an innovative model predictive controls technology for energy optimization and prediction. The Developing Optimal Controls Technology for Distributed Energy Resources (DOCTdER) project has resulted in a joint patent with the university partner, Florida State University. Formed in 2015, Nhu Energy is a spinoff of the Center for Advanced Power Systems, a world-class power and energy research and development program and MW scale testing facility affiliated with FSU. The firm is focused on the development of more resilient and flexible power systems and is looking at growing solar and other distributed energy resources across Florida in partnership with utilities and energy owners and operators. Nhu Energy has also received a larger DOE grant to lead a collaborative R&D project on solar and energy storage.

Onboard Data – Ryan Holy, CEO
Somerville, MA

Onboard Data is a recipient of SBIR Phase I & Phase II Awards totaling over $1 million dollars. This funded R&D goes towards the company’s innovative software product, which collects and streams data from buildings. This data is then used by clients to power a variety of software or software-enabled services to improve the performance of a building. Performance benefits can range from energy efficiency, thermal comfort, indoor air quality and predictive maintenance. By eliminating the effort and cost of collecting and streaming data, these benefits can scale quickly and reliably across the nation’s buildings. Onboard Data’s primary clients include software companies, engineering companies and the Fortune 500.

Opti O2, LLC – Dr. Ruby Ghosh, CEO
East Lansing, MI | 6 Employees

Opti O₂, LLC is an ambitious start-up company that has received more than $5 million in grant funding to commercialize an optical dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor probe system that will provide 24/7 measurement of water quality in soil, aquatic and marine environments. Relying on a patented sensing film, the Opti O₂ sensor probe system provides validated and reliable measurements. Opti O2, LLC is an ambitious start-up company that has received more than $5 million in grant funding to commercialize an optical dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor probe system that will provide 24/7 measurement of water quality in soil, aquatic and marine environments. Target markets for the Opti O₂ sensor include: environmental monitoring; waste water processors and watershed authorities; and aquaculture.

Oscilla Power – Balky Nair, CEO, and Tim Mundon, CTO
Seattle, WA | 10 Employees

Oscilla Power Inc. (OPI) is a leader in ocean wave energy systems, and its vision is to make utility-scale ocean energy commercially attractive.  OPI has received vital support from DOE through EERE and the SBIR program, as well as early SBIR awards from NSF and NOAA.  These grants helped the firm advance its technology to become a market leader, as evidenced by OPI’s selection as a finalist in DOE’s Wave Energy Prize competition. This has led to OPI  being awarded multiple, competitive non-SBIR awards. One of these grants has assisted in the construction of OPI’s first commercial scale system, the 100kW Triton system, which is currently in Hawaii awaiting deployment.  While the majority of OPI’s support comes from larger EERE programs, OPI continues to use the SBIR program selectively to advance specific aspects of its technology and to develop technology for derivative products.

Phase3 Photovoltaics – Ethan Good, President
Portland, OR | 5 Employees

Phase3 Photovoltaics (Phase3PV) has been developing the concept of pre-installing solar and storage kits within manufactured home factories so that they can be shipped complete and operational along with the home. These turnkey systems are wholly inclusive of the entire balance of system components and dovetail into the energy efficient appliances through an intelligent power management hub. The aim is to use mass-production practices, in a centralized facility, to dramatically lower the installation, permitting, and interconnection costs. An added benefit of this approach is that it provides solar power and energy equity to the most underserved portion of the U.S. market, so that they too can access the benefits of lower net monthly bills. The firm has received DOE SBIR Phase I and Phase II awards to support this work.

Pioneer Energy – Eyal Aronoff, CEO & Nicole Lane, Corporate Relations
Lakewood, CO

Pioneer Energy is a Colorado-based provider of proven and commercialized gas and liquids hydrocarbon capture and processing technology. This technology captures vented or flared rich hydrocarbon streams, conditions those streams for use or sale, and separates the extracted heavy hydrocarbon liquids into valuable products. Pioneer’s systems reduce oilfield emissions and increase ESG compliance. In addition, Pioneer recently completed a DOE SBIR Phase 1 exploring the feasibility of a novel technology which is intended to replace traditional well pad surface equipment. This technology will significantly reduce well pad emissions while enabling more efficient production of hydrocarbons from domestic US sources, helping to ensure US energy security. Pioneer is committed to commercializing and deploying this technology.

Polnox Corporation – Ashok Cholli, President & CTO
Lowell, MA| 2 Employees

With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE), Polnox is expanding its technological advancements in the development of safer additives to use in the development of high-performing Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants. Hydropower units are prone to water pollution. With funding from the Department of Energy, Polnox has successfully developed Hydropower Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (HEALs™) to replace petroleum-based toxic lubricants used in hydro turbines. These are non-toxic and high-performing safer lubricants to the eco-system and meet the specification of the industry. This is a unique contribution by Polnox to society for cleaner energy production and to the eco-system.

Qubitekk – Corey McClelland, Vice President
Bakerfield, CA | 23 Employees

Qubitekk is a pioneer in the development of optical components and systems for Quantum Information Science. Qubitekk seeks to enable emerging tech industries through quantum solutions such as quantum Internet, a cyber-secure electrical grid, and a network for interconnecting quantum computing devices. Qubitekk is working with fiber optic asset owners to design and construct the quantum networks of tomorrow and enable the transmission of quantum bits (qubits). The firm has received funding from the Department of Energy to develop unhackable quantum encryption technology to protect the U.S. electric grid from cyber attacks.

RenewCO₂ – Anders Laursen, CEO
Jersey City, NJ | 4 Employees

RenewCO₂ uses cutting edge research to develop and sell carbon utilization technologies to the chemical industry. The patented catalysts that RenewCO₂ has produced include monoethyleneglycol (antifreeze fluid), methylglyoxal (a less toxic replacement for formaldehyde), and furandiol (a monomer or as an additive for fuels). This technology converts CO2 emissions into plastic feedstocks with a negative carbon footprint. RenewCO₂ has received a STTR Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation and SBIR Phase I grant from the Department of Energy.

Rocky Mountain Institute – Elizabeth Hartman, Manager of U.S. Programs
Boulder, CO

RMI is transforming the global energy system to secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all.

Rotating Sleeve Engine Technology – Dr. Dimitrios Dardalis, CTO
Austin, TX | 3 Employees

RSET Inc. is developing the rotation liner engine (RLE), a unique lubrication concept for traditional internal combustion engines. The RLE incorporates a rotation liner between the piston and the engine block, exploiting the well proven piston and piston ring advantage of the historic sleeve valve engine and applying it to the modern exhaust-emission-driven reciprocating engine. The RLE improves efficiency, decreases pollutants, increases durability, and has applications for the $50B+ heavy-duty diesel market. The Department of Energy has supported this research through an SBIR Phase I Award to increase fuel efficiency in heavy duty vehicles by 3.5-4% at full load, about 25% at idle, and roughly 10% for an average duty cycle.

Sironix Renewables – Christoph Krumm, CEO
Seattle, WA

Sironix is a university spin-out that has relied on DOE funding throughout its life, starting from DOE EFRC research funding at the University of Minnesota, to the SBIR Phase I through Phase IIB series, the DOE RAPID manufacturing institute, as well as multiple CRADA partnerships with National Labs, amounting to over $5M in federal funding. The company is currently scaling its cleaning and personal care ingredient technology and expects to bring the first products to market in late 2022. Sironix was also recently visited by the DOE Undersecretary of Science from the previous administration, Paul Dabbar.

SixPoint Materials – Dr. Tadao Hashimoto, CEO & CTO
Buellton, CA | 7 Employees

SixPoint Materials, Inc. is a semiconductor material company founded in 2006 as a spin-off from the laboratory of Prof. Nakamura, the Nobel Laureate in Physics, at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The company’s core technology is the production of bulk GaN crystals by a proprietary NEAT method. Bulk GaN crystals enable GaN-on-GaN semiconductors indispensable for next-generation power electronics. Although the U.S. leads in the technology of SiC power semiconductors, we are behind Asian counterparts in GaN-on-GaN technologies because there is no company mass-producing bulk GaN crystals in the U.S. SixPoint aims to be the reliable U.S. supplier of bulk GaN crystals. SixPoint has demonstrated prototypes of bulk GaN crystals through several government projects, including DOE EERE SBIR Phase I, II, IIB, and IIC, ARPA-E SWITCHES and OPEN 2018 projects, and the Navy power electronics program. SixPoint needs further government support to move to pilot demonstration to attract private investors for full-scale production.

Steam Instruments, Inc. – Thomas Kelly, President & CEO
Madison, Wisconsin| 6 Employees 

Steam Instruments is developing instrumentation (including imaging mass spectrometers and superconducting ion detectors) that support materials development needed in many areas of energy research and development. The company has received funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) for this work.

TDA Research – Girish Srinivas, CEO
Golden, CO | 110 Employees

TDA Research is a 30+ year-old small business that has been developing and commercializing innovative energy-related technologies with funding from DOE and DOD. It has successfully commercialized multiple technologies in the energy and carbon capture areas. Its cutting-edge battery technology and processes provides a much-needed pathway to getting US based manufacturing of this critical technology used in next-generation batteries and can alleviate supply-chain issues currently faced by US manufacturers.

Tectonicus Constructs – Benjamin Lepley, Architect
Tucson, AZ | 9 Employees

Tectonicus Constructs is building software and structural system to plan the development of solar photovoltaic systems over canals and waterways. The firm’s product could open solar to a virtually untapped marketplace in rural America. The Department of Energy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has supported development of the platform, which is now beginning commercialization with a first pilot project on Tribal lands in Arizona.

TERRACOH – John Griffin, CEO
Minnetonka, MN | 4 Employees

TERRACOH seeks to expand current geologic opportunities of geothermal potential while simultaneously sequestering millions of tons of CO2 safely belowground. TERRACOH’s novel geothermal technology, which uses CO2 as its geologic working fluid, enables the sequestration of millions of tons of CO2 safely belowground, while incorporating power systems aboveground enabling dispatchable, scalable, baseload, negative-emission power production. The firm has also developed high efficiency, affordable, small to grid-scale energy storage with its Earth Battery® technology. TERRACOH’s suite of technologies are particularly well-suited to transition/leverage the oil and gas workforce to a renewable future. The firm has won Phase I and II SBIR Awards from the Department of Energy.

Volexion – Damien Despinoy, CEO
Evanston, IL

Volexion has a drop-in, conformal pristine graphene encapsulation solution technology, which protects Lithium battery cathode materials and drives improvements to safety, low-temperature performance, cycle life, and voltage range extension. Developed at Northwestern University by MacArthur fellow Pr. Mark Hersam, scaled-up at Argonne National Lab. Volexion received DoE’s Ten@Ten award in 2019, and is supported by private investors, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, and is experiencing strong industry interest and traction from major battery players.

Weinberg Medical Physics, Inc. – Irving Weinberg, President
North Bethesda, MD | 10 Employees

Weinberg Medical Physics builds systems for medical imaging and image-guided therapy. This company received a Phase I SBIR DOE grant for medical imaging and sells systems for these types of applications (that are now being used to guide cancer therapy). The company is presently building MRI scanners and has encountered rare-earth supply-chain challenges with respect to magnet delivery. These challenges are shared by other manufacturers, notably electric vehicles. The company has come up with a solution to the rare-earth supply challenge and is seeking Federal and strategic partners to further develop this technology.

Wyonics – Kristin diBona, Founder & CEO
Laramie, WY | 4 Employees

Wyonics is a rare earth metal extraction firm based in Laramie, Wyoming. The company has utilized SBIR funding to develop its technology and is in negotiations for a sub-contract for lithium extraction for geothermal brines. Wyonics’ extraction methods have the potential to open up alternative rare earth sources to alleviate the cost and environmental impact associated with mining in order to establish a reliable source of rare earths in the United States. Coal and coal by-products such as fly ash are known to contain rare earths, with an estimated 6 million MTs of rare earths in the western state coal basins- Wyonics has developed a method for extracting rare earths directly from coal or coal by-products using inexpensive, nonvolatile ionic liquids designed for the direct dissolution of coal at low temperatures.