In May, Breakthrough Energy joined nearly 3,000 climate tech experts from across various industries at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Texas. The Summit’s mission to move transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market closely aligns with the mission of our organization, particularly the BE Discovery platform. Breakthrough Energy Discovery supports technology development & commercialization with programs like Fellows, Explorers, and Workshops.
Representatives from across BE spent three days showcasing technologies, meeting with investors, and participating in keynote and panel discussions about the future of clean energy.
A central part of the Summit was the Technology Showcase, which highlighted projects, technologies, and companies at the forefront of cleantech innovation. Four BE Fellows companies – Calion, Gencores, Marathon, and Molten – are dual grantees of our program and ARPA-E. During the summit, Breakthrough also hosted a table at the ARPA-E Performer Investor Networking Event (APINE), participated in the ARPA-E Demo Day, and contributed to the ARPA-E Roundtable, an invite-only event.
Every year, the summit hosts a Student Program, which is an opportunity for student energy leaders to engage with companies looking for new talent and learn about new energy initiatives. I joined other industry representatives as a judge for the Student Program’s PITCHES competition, where selected students presented innovative energy technology ideas. We listened to the pitches and provided feedback to the students about their ideas.
Tim Latimer, CEO of Breakthrough Energy portfolio company Fervo, participated in a fireside chat with The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy; Michelle Chao, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Phoenix Tailings; and Ezana Mekonnen, Chief Technology Officer, Imagen Energy. Tim talked about the significant capital gap in scaling climate and technology solutions, emphasizing the need for stronger partnerships and strategic engagement to fill this gap—especially as private sector funding pulls back. He highlighted the importance of developing a robust ecosystem to transition technology from pilot stages to full-scale implementation, and stressed the need to engage venture capitalists and project providers early to reduce perceived risks.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures’ Christina Karapataki joined Shayle Kann, Managing Partner of Energy Impact Partners, Scott Nyquist, Senior Advisor of McKinsey & Company and Vice Chairman, Houston Energy Transition Initiative, and Yaniv Tepper, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Angeleno Group, on a panel about creating effective, scaled pilot projects and the associated challenges of scaling clean technology solutions.
Adria Wilson, a Director on the U.S. Policy and Advocacy Team, spoke on a panel about hydrogen’s role in the U.S. energy transition. She was joined by Dr. Emily Yedinak, Senior Technical Analyst of Breakthrough Energy Ventures portfolio company Koloma, and other industry and government experts involved in making the widespread adoption of hydrogen in our everyday lives a reality.
Events like ARPA-E are a unique opportunity for Breakthrough Energy to connect with other innovators, investors, and climate tech experts working alongside us in the technology development & commercialization phase of the clean energy transition. This year’s Summit successfully displayed the collaboration and innovation needed to reach net zero.
