Announcements
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LEEP Demo Day 2024
In May, the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program’s (LEEP) Demo Day featured graduating cohorts from the four LEEP nodes including Chain Reaction Innovations at Argonne National Laboratory, Innovation Crossroads at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, West Gate at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Cyclotron Road at Lawrence… Read More
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CRI Seeks Applicants for Next Cohort
Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), a Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, will begin accepting applications for Cohort 2025 on September 4th, the program’s ninth group of early-stage startups. Innovators with emerging science and energy… Read More
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CRI Rings Nasdaq Opening Bell
CRI Director Dick Co and Argonne National Lab Director Paul Kearns ring the Nasdaq Opening Bell. On July 9th, Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the entrepreneurship program and Argonne National Laboratory, rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell as one of Chicago Innovation’s 22nd annual award winners. This… Read More
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Semi-finalists Chosen for CRI's Cohort 8
Twenty-eight individuals with a wide range of startup technologies were chosen to advance to the semi-finals and compete to join Chain Reaction Innovations’ (CRI) Cohort 8. A broad range of innovations are represented in this year’s applicants, including energy generation and distribution, bioremediation, anti-fouling, mineralization,… Read More
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Entrepreneurship program at Argonne opens applications for startups
Chain Reaction Innovations seeks innovators to join Cohort 8 OCTOBER 26, 2023 Develop your clean energy or climate technology with the support of Argonne National Laboratory’s Chain Reaction Innovations program. Application deadline is 5 p.m. CST, Nov. 30. Through Chain Reaction Innovations, early-stage… Read More
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New startups Join Argonne’s Entrepreneurship Program
Chain Reaction Innovations announces new cohort Clean energy startups embed at Argonne to develop innovative technologies that hold promise for helping mitigate climate change. Four startups joined Chain Reaction Innovations, the entrepreneurship program at Argonne, to develop clean-energy technologies over two years. Four new… Read More
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Demo Day Showcased Innovators at Four National Labs
Argonne hosted Demo Day in downtown Chicago, an event celebrating innovation at four laboratory-embedded entrepreneurship programs. Resilience of innovators recognized at gathering of national lab-based technology incubators. Getting an invention or new breakthrough from the laboratory into the broader world requires more than just a… Read More
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Argonne Hosts Demo Day for Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program
U.S. Department of Energy event in Chicago, June 7, showcases innovative startups BY CHRISTINA NUNEZ MAY 25, 2023 Entrepreneurs with technologies for a clean energy future connect with resources and innovation ecosystems at U.S. Department of Energy national labs through the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program. Read More
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Sustainable Time Travel Technology Earns CRI Golden Buzzer Award
The coveted Golden Buzzer Award was given for the first time at CRI’s Cohort 7 Pitch Competition. This year, to celebrate the return of in-person Finals at Argonne National Laboratory, organizers of the event added the ‘Golden Buzzer’ Award. It functions like the popular gameshow,… Read More
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Finalists Chosen for CRI’s Cohort 7
Eighteen individuals comprising 16 startups advanced to the Finals pitch competition to join Chain Reaction Innovations’ Cohort 7. A broad range of energy innovations are represented in this year’s applicants, including energy storage and generation, decarbonization, circular economy, manufacturing, materials and vehicle technologies and materials. Read More
Latest Updates
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Five New Startups Join Argonne's Entrepreneurship Program
As Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) celebrates its 10th anniversary, the entrepreneurship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory is welcoming five startup founders to its 2026 cohort. Over the next two years, the entrepreneurs will embed full time at Argonne, partnering… Read More
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Director's Letter August 2026
Dear Friends of CRI, It’s been a busy summer at Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) and a great reminder of how much our community continues to grow. We recently announced our 2026 cohort, welcoming five new startup founders to Argonne. They bring new technologies, perspectives and… Read More
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CRI to Open Recruitment for Cohort 2027
Scientists and engineers ready to take their technology from the laboratory to the marketplace will soon have a new opportunity to make that leap. Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) will open applications for its 2027 cohort on Sept. 15, 2026, offering technical founders a fellowship… Read More
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Finalists Chosen for CRI’s Cohort 2026
Eleven individuals advanced to the Finals pitch competition to join Chain Reaction Innovations’ Cohort 2026. A broad range of energy innovations are represented in this year’s applicants, including battery technologies, industrial processes, performance materials and biotechnology. The 11 startups will pitch their technology during the virtual… Read More
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2025 Startup Milestones
About CRI Startup founders and the CRI team work together to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing energy and environmental challenges through transformative science and technology. CRI support allows science startups to bring their deep tech to market more quickly. The combined total of… Read More
