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Our Mission
Our Mission
IMPEL's mission is to advance the affordability, reliability, and security of high-potential deep tech innovations in building technologies, and adjacent critical minerals and advanced manufacturing, through business training, technical validation, and strategic opportunities.
IMPEL's mission is to advance the affordability, reliability, and security of high-potential deep tech innovations in building technologies, and adjacent critical minerals and advanced manufacturing, through business training, technical validation, and strategic opportunities.
Technology commercialization is notoriously challenging in the building sector. The cost benefits of building energy innovations often require time horizons our planet doesn't have. Additionally, many new projects and businesses fall victim to ‘Valleys of Death’ early in development.
IMPEL equips early-stage innovators with technical and communication tools to translate the premise and promise of new building innovations into the language of business.
Embedded within Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's Energy Technologies Area, and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office (BTO) and Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), IMPEL provides unique value to its cohorts by connecting them to powerful public and private sector pipelines, and a network of investors, demonstration and technical experts, industry leaders, and policymakers to help our innovators reach their next milestone.
Our Approach
Our Approach
Game-changing innovations in advanced materials, critical minerals, and building technologies often fail to reach the market, lacking the deeptech expertise and industry partnerships needed to scale. IMPEL aims to enable a strong domestic value chain to meet U.S. energy affordability, reliability, and security goals.
IMPEL acts as the catalyst. We equip early-stage startups and R&D teams with the entrepreneurial tools, technology validation, public-private networks, and market traction needed to translate breakthrough science into the language of business. We unlock domestic market potential and global competitive advantage through four interconnected approaches:
Teams: Hands-on innovation and entrepreneurship coaching and mentoring to build commercialization capabilities.
Technologies: Technical validation milestones powered by lab evaluation and rigorous analysis training.
Traction: Access to a trusted network of industry partners, investors, and offtakers to slash deployment barriers.
Timing: Proactive market intelligence to intercept key trends and channel support into the right technologies at the right moment, driving scalable market adoption.
Reach New Heights With Us
Reach New Heights With Us
IMPEL is a three-phase program:
IMPEL is a three-phase program:
Through three progressive phases and a selective down-selection process, IMPEL directs its most intensive resources toward high-potential teams.
Phase 1: Foundational Training
(All Innovators)
Phase 1: Foundational Training
(All Innovators)
All Innovators accepted into the program begin here to receive training and actionable feedback that builds a foundation for successful pitching to potential stakeholders.
Pitch Coaching at a one-day intensive workshop led by our expert coaches to sharpen customer value proposition and craft a compelling pitch
Techno-economic Analysis Training with National Lab scientists to help Innovators develop scientific approaches and use vetted tools to enable robust projections for their technology development. Some teams may be selected for technical validation at the National Labs through adjacent programs.
Group Mentoring with expert feedback from a panel of industry, investor, government, and technical experts and partners.
Networking opportunities with like-minded Innovators, alumni, and experts at our quarterly networking meetings and innovation talks.
Phase 2: Business Training
(Select cohort members)
Phase 2: Business Training
(Select cohort members)
IMPEL selects innovators ready for the next phase to develop an initial business plan and a customized commercialization strategy.
Business Model Seminars to develop initial business plans and strategic pathways to private capital, industry partnerships, and public-sector non-dilutive funding.
One-on-One Mentoring with our coaches and our Program Director, Reshma Singh to refine your pitch for specific audiences and prepare for Phase 3
Phase 3: Impact
(Select cohort members)
Phase 3: Impact
(Select cohort members)
High-performing IMPEL Innovators gain access to valuable public and private sector resources, partnerships, and funding pathways:
IMPEL Pitch Day (Private Sector Event)
IMPEL National Showcase with DOE (Public Sector Event)
Demonstration and Field Test Opportunities
We Connect Innovators to Experts
We Connect Innovators to Experts
IMPEL’s Executive Team at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab guides Innovators through every phase, connecting them to a curated network of Expert Coaches, Mentors, incubators, and industry partners.
IMPEL’s Executive Team at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab guides Innovators through every phase, connecting them to a curated network of Expert Coaches, Mentors, incubators, and industry partners.
Executive Coaches
Executive Coaches
IMPEL Coaches are business experts: skilled entrepreneurs who have raised multi-million dollar funds, judged startup pitches, and coached technologists towards successful commercialization.
Incubator Access
Incubator Access
Through its partnerships, IMPEL provides real pitching opportunities at national pitch events and connects you with a broader pool of investors and innovators in building technologies and adjacent critical minerals and advanced manufacturing domains.
Expert Mentors
Expert Mentors
IMPEL Mentors may include investors (from boutique and impact funds), corporate ventures, demonstration entities (from state energy offices, federal agencies, construction and utility companies), and subject matter experts from national labs and universities.
IMPEL's Innovators
IMPEL's Innovators
IMPEL's Innovators work at the intersection of critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and the built environment, bringing expertise in engineering, architecture, urban design, facilities operations, real estate, energy services, healthy buildings, industrial processing and productivity, and emerging technologies such as AI, data science, and robotics.
Learn more about our Innovators here.
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