Embedded Files
TomKat Center
Advancing Sustainable Energy for All
In 2024–25, the TomKat Center and the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator joined forces to have an even greater impact on sustainability innovation and to expand our influence across the university. By combining our assets and our ambitions, we are strengthening the entrepreneurial capacity of students and faculty to fast-track sustainability solutions around the world.
In 2024–25, the TomKat Center and the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator joined forces to have an even greater impact on sustainability innovation and to expand our influence across the university. By combining our assets and our ambitions, we are strengthening the entrepreneurial capacity of students and faculty to fast-track sustainability solutions around the world.
TRANSLATING DISCOVERY
TRANSLATING DISCOVERY
The TomKat Center is known for mentoring teams on how to commercialize breakthrough technologies in sustainability. Guided by the center’s technical expertise and robust network throughout Silicon Valley, Stanford students and faculty gain key insights—and grant support—from our team to launch startups that can reshape the footprint of how we live and work.
Innovation Transfer Program
Innovation Transfer Program
The Innovation Transfer Program has been foundational for more than 130 Stanford teams; nearly 100 of these startups are still in business today. Since 2013, the program has granted $7.87 million leading to ventures resulting in more than $4.6 billion in external follow-on funding and a combined enterprise value exceeding $9.4 billion. In 2025, the TomKat Center awarded 12 grants. Learn about three of these newest startups below, as well as highlights from our alumni.
PHOTO: NASA
Arinna
Arinna
Arinna is named after the Goddess of the Sun for a reason. The cofounders intend to build the energy infrastructure of space using ultra-thin, flexible panels—powered by sunshine. With an ability to bend tighter than a pencil, their proprietary solar technology allows for a minimal weight and footprint aboard rockets headed into orbit.
Experts predict that the space economy will require 3 gigawatts—or 1 billion watts—by 2035, partly due to new satellites being launched at a record rate. According to the Los Angeles Times, SpaceX’s satellite internet provider Starlink alone has sent about 11,000 satellites into space since 2019.
The cofounders estimate their 2-D technology has the potential to achieve 10x higher power-per-mass than incumbent technologies. They were also named Breakthrough Energy Fellows in 2024. Learn more.
Team: Koosha Nafiz, MS ’16, PhD ’21; and Alex Shearer, PhD ’24
Greenhill
Greenhill
Greenhill is scaling up HVAC electrification for commercial buildings. About 15 million rooftop heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are in operation in commercial buildings in the United States. From Amazon warehouses to fast food restaurants, about half of the electricity used in these structures is for heating and cooling.
Mustafa Sultan founded Greenhill in 2024 in order to design an HVAC unit that delivers the best ROI, and his brother Musa soon joined him. The cofounders took technology created in Japan in the 1980s called variable refrigerant flow (VRF) and reconfigured it to easily integrate into air duct systems used in the United States.
“We built what didn’t exist: a rooftop VRF heat pump system that installs just like a standard gas unit. It costs the same all-in and delivers far greater energy savings—making it the no-brainer HVAC choice.”
The Sultan brothers completed a six-month pilot study of an IHOP restaurant in 2025. Operating data showed that the Greenhill technology reduced the diner’s HVAC energy consumption by 60 percent, and peak demand use by 40 percent. Learn more.
Team: Mustafa Sultan, BA ’25, MS ’26; Musa Sultan
Greenhill unit deployed on roof in California.
Mafix
Mafix
Mafix has developed a fast-acting fertilizer that feeds crops and sequesters carbon dioxide (CO₂) at the same time. The venture’s soil additive is being tested at more than a dozen field sites in the United States and Germany.
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a CO₂ removal technique that accelerates a natural geological process by spreading finely crushed silicate rocks, such as basalt, over the land. The silicates convert CO₂ into stable bicarbonates. The challenge is it can still take decades for conventional ERW to react with carbon dioxide, even with very high surface areas.
The Mafix approach converts abundant but slow-reacting silicates into minerals that remove CO₂ much faster, accomplishing the same feat in a single growing season. The Mafix product removes up to 1 net ton of CO₂ per ton applied, and boosts crop yields by replenishing soil nutrients, offering a scalable path to sustainable agriculture and financially viable carbon sequestration.
The TomKat Center, in collaboration with the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator and the Stanford High Impact Fund, are helping Mafix explore the commercialization potential of these supercharged rocks by de-risking the technology, conducting field trials, securing strategic partnerships, and launching a company. Learn more.
Team: Jade Marcus, PhD candidate; Matt Kanan, Professor of Chemistry
Field trial of Mafix fertilizer.
Alumni Headlines
Alumni Headlines
Anthro Energy (2020 awardee) opened a nearly 32,000-square-foot headquarters in Alameda, Calif., in 2025. The advanced battery materials startup joined a manufacturing park with Abbott Laboratories, Rondo Energy, and other innovative neighbors. Learn more.
Nitricity (2019 awardee) raised $50 million to ramp up production of its organic nitrogen fertilizer, Ash Tea. Made from almond shells, air, water, and renewable power, the organic fertilizer has increased crop yields by 30% in field trials while repurposing almond waste. The funding round was co-led by new investor World Fund, Europe’s leading climate VC, and returning investor Khosla Ventures, with participation from King Philanthropies and others. Learn more.
Alumni Reflections
Alumni Reflections
“We’re super thankful for the TomKat funding. It comes at such a crucial time, not only for us, but for every company they fund. When you’re first spinning out, any amount of funding is so important. That’s when capital’s the ‘most expensive,’ they say. And so that goes a long way for helping companies get off the ground. Now we’re eight full-time people and we have a warehouse two years later.”
Eric McShane, CEO and cofounder, Electroflow Technologies (2023 awardee)
“The TomKat Center was absolutely instrumental in helping us get this idea off of paper. They’ve really been with us every single step of the way supporting us and being our biggest cheerleaders.”
Kelly Redmond, co-CEO and cofounder, Oleo (2024 awardee)
Measuring Impact
Measuring Impact
DEVELOPING LEADERS
DEVELOPING LEADERS
The TomKat Center is making it easier for advanced doctoral students to apply their research to real-world environmental quandaries. Through our Graduate Fellowships for Translational Research, the following students have received two years of center funding, starting in 2025.
Anjini Chandra
Anjini Chandra
PhD candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Project: Designing more efficient, compact power cycles with supercritical carbon dioxide for cleaner energy with a smaller carbon footprint. Learn more.
Henry Moise
Henry Moise
PhD candidate, Chemical Engineering
Project: Exploring methane pyrolysis to generate hydrogen and carbon products while reducing CO₂ emissions. Learn more.
Philippe Roberge
Philippe Roberge
PhD candidate, Earth System Science
Project: Creating scalable, low-cost solutions to protect against megafires using AI and satellite technology. Learn more.
Sarah Sausan
Sarah Sausan
PhD candidate, Energy Science & Engineering
Project: Advancing enhanced geothermal systems through multi-scale fracture characterization. Learn more.
Emily Steiner
Emily Steiner
PhD candidate, Electrical Engineering
Project: Developing computer vision tools to improve construction industry efficiency and reduce waste. Learn more.
Ruilin Yin
Ruilin Yin
PhD candidate, Chemistry
Project: Creating microporous ladder polymer materials for more energy-efficient chemical separations. Learn more.
Alumni Reflections
Alumni Reflections
TomKat fellow is mapping biodiversity, weaving together citizen science with remote sensing data.
“Many researchers work on their PhD and they’re like, okay, great. Done. Move on. Whereas this fellowship has really made me think about how am I going to get this out into the world after I finish?”
Daniel Neamati, PhD student, Aeronautics and Astronautics
2024 TomKat Graduate Fellow for Translational Research
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
In 2025, the energyStartup Internships program enabled startups in our network to hire 48 students for the summer. These internships are competitive, with 275 applicants vying for the paid positions. Meet some of our recent interns and hear about their experiences below. Learn more.
“This summer was one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had so far at Stanford. I left the internship with stronger technical skills, but also with a much clearer sense of how those skills fit into the bigger picture of climate resilience and equity.”
Spurti Nimbali, ’28, Computer Science | Airys Tech | LinkedIn
“Doing hands-on engineering work at a fast-growing energy startup was the best way I could have spent my summer. The opportunity provided by TomKat to work at an energy startup gives so much real-world insight about the energy tech landscape that you can’t get from classes alone.”
Samuel Chen, ’28, Materials Science & Physics | Antora | LinkedIn
“I’m deeply thankful for this opportunity. As a first-generation, low-income student, having the chance to gain hands-on experience in the field of science and STEM has been invaluable. This internship has given me both professional skills and the confidence to continue pursuing my career goals.”
Danyela Mendoza, ’27, Bioengineering | Arinna | LinkedIn
“The most valuable part of my experience with the energy startup was the chance to work on things that truly matter. Rather than feeling like 'busy work,' my role gave me ownership over initiatives that directly supported the company’s mission and growth.”
Gheed Jamal El Bizri, BS ’25, Data Science and Psychology, MS ’26, Sustainability Science and Practice | Guidewheel | LinkedIn
In 2025, the center also supported three student participants through our Energy Impact Fellowships. This student team joined Oleo last summer, a venture transforming biowaste, such as palm fibers, into oil feedstocks for advanced fuels. Looking ahead, the Energy Impact Fellowships will support two startups working on cleantech projects with social impact in 2026. Learn more.
TRACKING TRAJECTORIES
TRACKING TRAJECTORIES
You can always learn more about our community of grant recipients and graduate fellows through the TomKat spotlight stories. Learn more.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
BUILDING COMMUNITY
The TomKat Center is growing a robust and supportive ecosystem through our grant programs. Sort and filter past recipients of the Innovation Transfer Grant alphabetically by the startup name, by the innovation area, or by the year the grant was awarded.
Innovation Areas
Innovation Areas
Page updated
Report abuse