Shell-NREL Accelerator Selects Five Startups for Clean Energy Innovation Program

The Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL has selected five startups to participate in its seventh cohort, continuing its mission to advance emerging technologies with potential to transform the global energy landscape. The multimillion-dollar program, developed in collaboration between Shell GameChanger and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, provides selected companies with $250,000 in nondilutive funding and access to NREL's research facilities. This year's cohort focuses on two strategic areas: future feedstocks and electrochemical pathways to fuels, aligning with Shell's Powering Progress strategy and NREL's mission to deliver integrated energy solutions.

Two companies were selected for their work on future feedstocks, including Aquora Biosystems from Ann Arbor, Michigan, which develops next-generation organic waste biorefineries to produce biofuels like renewable natural gas and synthetic aviation fuel. The program will support transforming Aquora's wet organic waste into ketones for downstream SAF production along with techno-economic and life cycle analysis. Consolidated Carbon from Austin, Texas produces industrial hemp-based materials to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide without impacting food production, with GCxN assisting in optimizing hemp feedstock pretreatment and investigating various strategy impacts.

The electrochemical pathways category includes three innovative companies: RenewCO2 from Somerset, New Jersey develops electrocatalytic conversion technology that transforms carbon dioxide into fuels and chemicals using only water and electricity. SKYRE from East Hartford, Connecticut uses advanced electrochemical processes to convert carbon dioxide into high-value fuels like methanol and synthetic gas, while Sora Fuel from Cambridge, Massachusetts produces synthetic jet fuel by converting atmospheric carbon dioxide using highly efficient electrolyzers. Each company will collaborate with NREL researchers to advance their technologies through reactor design, system optimization, and scale-up considerations.

Johanna Jamison, GCxN program manager at NREL, noted that these companies are tackling complex challenges in waste and fuel production with creative approaches. The technical collaboration through GCxN helps de-risk emerging technologies and clear their path to scale and impact. Shell's GCxN program manager Yesim Jonsson emphasized that the new cohort reflects Shell's commitment to scaling technologies that transform waste and emissions into valuable fuels, chemicals, and materials, directly supporting Shell's ambition to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.

With the addition of this seventh cohort, GCxN's total portfolio now includes 28 startups that have collectively raised more than $940 million and hired more than 486 people. The program demonstrates significant effectiveness in accelerating technology development, with startups typically joining at Technology Readiness Level 4 and graduating at Level 6. For more information about the program, visit GCxNREL.com.