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From Lab to Market: The West Gate Story (Text Version)

From Lab to Market: The West Gate Story (Text Version)

This is the text version for the video From Lab to Market: The West Gate Story.

[The video opens with a presentation slide featuring the National Laboratory of the Rockies and West Gate logos and the following text on screen:

From Lab to Market: The West Gate Story

Module 1 West Gate Informational Series

Throughout the video, footage of the narrator speaking directly into the camera is interspersed with images and presentation slides.]

>>Shelly Curtiss, West Gate Program Manager, National Laboratory of the Rockies: Welcome to the first module in our West Gate informational series.

In this module, we'll provide some background on the U.S. Department of Energy's Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, or LEEP, and explain how West Gate fits within the National Laboratory of the Rockies and its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.

Let's start with the laboratory.

The National Laboratory of the Rockies is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for critical minerals, energy innovation, and energy security. The laboratory bridges foundational research with practical applications to develop and bring to scale new energy materials and technologies that lower energy costs, drive economic growth, and deliver abundant and reliable energy.

[Images of various laboratory employees at work appear above the titles of associated research areas, including biology and biochemical processing; chemistry and chemical engineering; energy systems integration; high-performance computing; materials science and processing; energy security; thermal and mechanical engineering; and power systems engineering.]

It brings together researchers, specialized facilities, and expertise across a broad range of energy technologies. That breadth is important for entrepreneurs because developing a technology for the marketplace often requires more than the original scientific breakthrough. It may require technical validation, prototyping, testing, access to specialized equipment, and connections with industry and investors.

[A presentation slide appears with the title "The Power of NLR's Innovation Network," with three United States maps above the labels "Startups," "Investors," and "Channel Partners." Text on screen:

NLR has a nationwide network of startups, investors, and incubators with a global reach.

Startups

130+ portfolio companies in current incubation programs
355 unique startup applicants to Industry Growth Forum (last 2 years)
2,200 startups receive our monthly bulletin.

Investors

48 Investor Advisory Board members
600 investors in our broader investor network.

Channel Partners

58 channel partners
- 19 university programs
- 39 incubators/accelerators
- Represent 6,000+ startups
- $9.5M in Strategic Award funding across 90 projects.
55 University Tech Transfer IP partners]

This is where the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, or IEC, comes in.

The IEC helps turn economically viable advanced energy innovations into competitive, real-world solutions. It does this through three primary areas: building networks, developing technology incubation programs, and convening the energy ecosystem.

[A presentation slide titled, "Accelerating Tech to Market with Tech Incubation Programs" appears on screen. It shows a flowchart with the various stages of tech incubation programs in horizontal format and in chronological order at top— R&D; Bench Scale; Prototype; Precommercial; Commercial; and To Market at Scale. At the bottom of the flowchart is a horizontal bar labeled "Tasks" with the following sequential tasks: Idea; Market Discovery; Validation; Demonstration; and Market. IEC program appears in the middle of the screen, between the two horizontal Stage and Task bars, to reflect in which areas each program falls. They're shown as follows:

OTC Energy I-Corps (R&D–Bench Scale; Idea–Validation)

West Gate (R&D–Bench Scale; Market Discovery–Validation)

Chevron Studio (R&D–Prototype; Market Discovery–Validation)

Exxon Accelerate (R&D–Prototype; Market Discovery–Validation)

Shell GameChanger Powered by NLR (Bench Scale–Prototypt; Market Discovery–Validation)

Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (Bench Scale–Precommercial; Market Discovery–Validation)

American-Made Challenges (Bench Scale–Commercial; Market Discovery–Demonstration)

NLR Industry Growth Forum (Precommercial–To Market at Scale; Validation–Demonstration)]

The IEC manages programs designed to help innovators move from research and development toward demonstration and, ultimately, the market. West Gate is one of those programs.

While we're just about to get to the detailed West Gate information, let's first zoom out to the DOE level and the origin of West Gate.

[Text on screen:

What is LEEP?

The U.S. Department of Energy's Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) connects entrepreneurs with world-leading scientists and facilities at U.S. national laboratories.

LEEP accelerates early-stage energy startups to advance ideas from concept to viable first product, enabling the most promising entrepreneurs to develop game-changing technologies.]

About a decade ago, the U.S. Department of Energy created the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, or LEEP, to provide an institutional home for hard-tech innovators who want to advance their research into products while also gaining experience as entrepreneurs.

[A map of the United States shows markers on states with the following LEEP programs: Cyclotron Road (California); West Gate (Colorado) Chain Reactions Innovations Entrepreneurship at Argonne (Illinois); and Innovation Crossroads (Tennessee)]

As the name implies, LEEP embeds entrepreneurs at U.S. national laboratories and pairs them with national lab scientists who can help them advance their technologies. The goal is to leverage the infrastructure of the national labs to help early-stage energy startups develop technologies toward a viable first product with significant market impact.

The program is offered at four national labs—Argonne, Berkeley, Oak Ridge, and the National Laboratory of the Rockies—and recognizes that bold, game-changing technologies need time, resources, and technical support before they are ready for private investment or commercialization.

LEEP provides that runway.

[A presentation slide with the title "Bridging the Gap from Research to Entrepreneurship and Accelerating Energy Tech to Market" above text and an illustration highlighting West Gates process and value:

Technology Idea
2 Years Stiped and Benefit – Allows innovators to focus on technology and business full time
Access to National Lab Resources – [Cooperative research and development agreement] CRADA provides funds for resources
Mentorship and Business Training – Leads to networking, community building, and improved outcomes

At the end of the illustration is are the words "Private investment," with an arrow pointing to a start bearing the word "MARKET."]

For West Gate innovators, this includes funding for access to laboratory researchers, facilities, and equipment; a living stipend for 2 years; health benefits and travel support; and mentorship, advisers, and support from the West Gate team.

The overall model is designed to bridge the gap between a technology idea and the marketplace.

Innovators have the opportunity to focus full time on their technology and business while accessing national laboratory resources, mentorship and business training, and a network that can help them move toward private investment and commercialization.

West Gate is the National Laboratory of the Rockies' LEEP program.

The program gives innovators a 2-year opportunity to develop their technology and startup while working closely with researchers, facilities, and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In the next module, we'll take a closer look at what that experience actually looks like, including the financial support, technical assistance, mentorship, entrepreneurial training, and community that make up the West Gate program.