Virtual Commercialization Workshops
The DOE SBIR/STTR programs office provides virtual commercialization workshops with the goal of improving the commercialization outcome of DOE SBIR/STTR funded technologies.
Introduced in late 2022, these virtual workshops are held quarterly and focus on topics related to commercialization that are typical areas of weakness for SBIR/STTR companies (manufacturing, licensing, financial modeling, preparing to pitch, intellectual property strategies, etc.).
FY22 Commercialization Workshop
December 2022 - Commercialization and the Power of Partnering [more]
The inaugural workshop opened with a discussion on why partners are important in your commercialization journey and how they change over time.
The agenda included presentations from industry stakeholders (Exelon, 3M, SK Ventures and Henkel) and a VC panel with representatives from Early
Charm Ventures, E8 Ventures and Clean Energy Ventures.
FY23 Commercialization Workshops
March 2023 - Preparing to Pitch [more]
This workshop included an educational overview of what should be done as you prepare to pitch from VentureWell as well
as the small business resources available from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of the Advocate forSmall Business Capital Formation. Panels included Lessons Learned from Phase II awardees that had successfully pitched
their DOE funded technologies and Pitching Do’s & Don’ts from industry stakeholders (Dow Ventures, TDK Ventures, Clean
Energy Ventures and Eagle Point Funding). Interested in learning more - check out the workshop recording.
May 2023 - Financial Modeling [more]
The virtual event opened with Ron Schoff (Director of R&D - Renewable Energy and Fleet Enabling Technologies at EPRI)
providing his thoughts on Energy related markets and how to think about market projections/modeling for Energy related
technologies. Then, Phase Shift II coaches, Max Green and Dan Kunitz, discussed the basics on how to make market
and sales projections. The workshop concluded with Emily Avagliano (Resollant Consulting) introducing cost strategies
for achieving accurate and commercially viable product cost targets. View the workshop recording for more information.
September 2023 - Navigating Phase III Contracting [more]
The virtual event opened with Mike Dobbs, Deputy Chief Counsel from the Office of Science, providing the Phase III
legal framework followed by Manny Oliver discussing the challenges in interpreting/executing Phase IIIs. The floor
then opened to Lessons Learned from DOE Phase III awardees and their associated program managers and contracting
officers from NETL, OE, ANL, NNSA and the U.S. Navy. Check out the recording and slides for more information! When
discussing this acquisition preference with the National Laboratories, this memo from DOE Headquarters may be useful.
The Office of SBIR/STTR programs is also working on a guidance document.
December 2023 - Preparing to License [more]
The workshop opened with Dr. Jenny Servo (Dawnbreaker) providing an overview of licensing basics and points to
consider from the perspective of the small business. Phase II awardee, Dr. Basu Saha (RiKarbon) shared his
story/lessons learned from his successful license of technologies developed with DOE SBIR/STTR funding. The
workshop concluded with a panel put together by IP specialists from Clarivate on IP strategies to consider
building on concepts introduced by Dr. Servo. Check out the recording and slides for more information!
FY24 Commercialization Workshops
March 2024 – Preparing to Manufacture [more]
Geared toward understanding manufacturing basics and what to consider when preparing to manufacture product, the workshop opened with Chuck Hodges and Jenney Loper from Zebulon Solutions, Inc. discussing how to move a prototype into production. Then Dr. Joe Cresko from DOE’s Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office (IEDO) introduced IEDO’s Introspective Portfolio Assessment tools and; Dr. Jyoti Malhotra and Don Ufford discussed manufacturing resources available through NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and Manufacturing USA programs, respectively. The workshop closed with a panel of DOE awardees sharing their manufacturing lessons learned. (Video | Slides)
June 2024 – Financial Modeling based on Cash Flow [more]
Geared toward understanding cash flow and its significance on making operational decisions, the virtual event opened with Michael Delgado (Rhodium Group) providing highlights from Rhodium’s collaboration with MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR), The Clean Investment Monitor (CIM). Then, Phase Shift II coaches, Max Green and Tom Teynor, discussed the basics of financial modeling walking through various real-world scenarios. The workshop concluded with a panel of DOE Phase II awardees (Joe McCrink – KVA Stainless; Kimberly White – Coreform; Greg Yeric – Cerfe Labs) sharing critical take-aways from their Phase Shift II participation. (Slides | Video)
October 2024 – Preparing for Product Launch [more]
Geared toward preparing for product release, the virtual event opened with an educational overview on product launch basics from Tori McDonnell and Joey Marquart from Silverline, a premier climate tech public relations firm. Then, Elizabeth Ahern, Director of the U.S. Commercial Service office in Peoria IL, discussed opportunities to collaborate with the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) to introduce product internationally, and successful SBIR/STTR awardee, Tony Mulligan (Hydronalix), spoke about his use of ITA programs to accelerate his international product sales. The workshop concluded with a panel of DOE Phase II awardees (Randy Hiebert – BioSqueeze, Tony Mulligan – Hydronalix, Serpil Gonen Williams – Pixelligent and Anton Zonneveld – Radiation Monitoring Devices) sharing lessons learned from their successful product launches.
(Slides | Video)
December 2024 – Developing a Strategic Cap Table [more]
Thinking about pursuing dilutive funding? Interested in hearing firsthand from industry stakeholders about how to engage with them? Want to learn about financial strategies that worked for fellow entrepreneurs? If so, this virtual workshop, Developing a Strategic Cap Table, is for you! The workshop opened with Anthony Schiavo from Lux Research providing an overview on the status of net-zero implementation within the oil & gas, utilities, and chemical industries. Then, Dave McCarthy discussed cap table management aimed at helping startups understand the impact of dilution and the whos, whens and whys when thinking about taking outside funds. His presentation concluded with DOE SBIR/STTR awardees (Etosha Cave, Twelve and Chris Faranetta, Near Star Fusion) sharing their financial strategies. After a short break, the workshop continued with a series of reverse pitches from industry stakeholders (Clean Energy Ventures, United Airlines Ventures – Sustainable Flight Fund, Honda Xcelerator Ventures, GC Ventures and BASF Venture Capital). The workshop concluded with these stakeholders sharing their perspectives on best practices for engaging with venture groups. (Slides | Excel | Video)
