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
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Director's Letter 2025 Year-End
Dear Friends of CRI, As 2025 comes to a close, I would like to share updates on the past year at Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) and extend my appreciation to the many partners, collaborators, mentors, and supporters who contribute to the program’s work. This year… Read More
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Director's Letter August 2025
Dear Friends of CRI, I hope you’ve enjoyed a productive and restorative summer. I’m excited to share some updates that reflect where we’re headed at Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI). First and foremost, we proudly announced Cohort 2025—our ninth cohort of fellows—in July. We’re energized… Read More
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Chain Reaction Innovations program selects five startup founders for two-year entrepreneurial fellowship
Five new innovators will join Chain Reaction Innovations, the entrepreneurship program at Argonne, and develop their startup technologies as part of the program’s Cohort 2025. Five new innovators will join CRI, the entrepreneurship program at Argonne. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.) Five new innovators will join … Read More
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2024 Startup Milestones
About CRI Startup founders and the CRI team work together to advance cutting-edge technologies that offer science solutions that benefit America and the world. CRI support allows science startups to bring their deep tech to market more quickly. The combined total of follow-on funding raised… Read More
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Pivot, not Panic: Chain Reaction Innovations is Driving Startup Success
By focusing on the needs of founders, Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovations program provides startups with funding, expertise and laboratory resources to turn innovative clean-energy technologies into market-changing companies. As a result of his work at Argonne, Gary Ong, founder and CEO of Celadyne Technologies, is… Read More
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Director's Letter
Dear Friends of CRI, Welcome to the Summer 2024 issue of the CRI newsletter. In it, you’ll see the breadth of our spring and summer activities. It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to CRI’s newest cohort. Welcoming a new cohort is… Read More
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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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Entrepreneurship program at Argonne Announces Newest Cohort
Five new innovators will join Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, as part of the award-winning program’s eighth cohort. The five will join the two-year program starting this… 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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Chain Reaction Innovations wins a 2023 Chicago Innovation Award
Chain Reaction Innovations has been recognized for solving unmet needs, creating jobs and generating new funding in the Chicago metro area. Chain Reaction Innovations, the entrepreneurship program at Argonne National Laboratory, has been recognized with a Chicago Innovation Award. (Image by Chicago Innovation.) Chain… 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
