Innovation Crossroads
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersOak Ridge, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Innovation Crossroads firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Innovation Crossroads
- Legal name
- Innovation Crossroads
- Website
- https://innovationcrossroads.ornl.gov
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Innovation Crossroads industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hard-Tech Entrepreneurship Fellowship / Energy Technology Incubator
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting (BPAHACAM)
Keywords
Where Innovation Crossroads is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oak Ridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Innovation Crossroads business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fellowship Program Support: Innovation Crossroads is a Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program that supports aspiring hard-tech entrepreneurs in energy and advanced manufacturing. The program provides fellowships with living stipends, health insurance stipends, travel allowances, and R&D grants to selected innovators to develop their technologies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Innovation Crossroads product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Innovation Crossroads is a two-year fellowship program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that supports aspiring hard-tech entrepreneurs in energy and advanced manufacturing. Selected fellows receive a personal living stipend, health insurance stipend, travel allowance, and substantial R&D grant for collaborative research at ORNL, along with comprehensive mentoring to build sustainable business models and commercialize world-changing energy and manufacturing technologies.
Product overview
Innovation Crossroads is a Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). It is not a product company but rather a two-year fellowship program focused on energy and advanced manufacturing technologies. The program selects entrepreneurial-minded fellows through an annual competitive process and provides them with a fellowship that includes a personal living stipend, health insurance stipend, travel allowance, substantial grant for collaborative R&D at ORNL, and mentoring assistance to build sustainable business models. The program positions fellows to address fundamental energy and manufacturing challenges by leveraging ORNL's unique scientific resources and capabilities. Notable alumni include Nth Cycle (critical metals refining company that announced a $1.1 billion offtake agreement with Trafigura) and Vitriform3D (advanced manufacturing company doing glass 3D printing with ORNL).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Innovation Crossroads Two-Year Fellowship Program A two-year fellowship program that selects top entrepreneurial-minded fellows through an annual national call and competitive stage-gate process. Fellows receive a personal living stipend, health insurance stipend, travel allowance, substantial R&D grant for collaborative research at ORNL, and comprehensive mentoring to build sustainable hard-tech business models in energy and advanced manufacturing.
Companies that use Innovation Crossroads
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Innovation Crossroads technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Innovation Crossroads partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Tennessee Valley AuthoritycoreSupporting organization providing strategic partnership to the Innovation Crossroads program
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)coreHost laboratory providing unique scientific resources, capabilities, and facilities for program fellows to conduct collaborative R&D. Innovation Crossroads is embedded within ORNL's Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP).
- LEEP (Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program)coreDOE's LEEP initiative encompasses multiple national lab programs. Innovation Crossroads is part of this ecosystem, with Demo Day events bringing together founders from all LEEP cohorts.
- Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Powerline Conductor Accelerated Testing FacilitycoreWitching Hour, a Cohort 2025 startup, is collaborating with ORNL's Powerline Conductor Accelerated Testing Facility to advance drone-deployed robotic technology for wildfire prevention through grid hardening.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Innovation Crossroads competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Newlab: Brooklyn-based innovation hub with prototyping facilities, venture studio, and accelerator programs focused on advanced manufacturing, energy, and urban tech. Adjacent in mission around hard-tech commercialization, though private-sector funded versus Innovation Crossroads' DOE/TVA backing.
- The Engine (MIT): MIT-affiliated accelerator and investment fund for 'tough tech' founders spanning energy, advanced manufacturing, biotech, and computing. Comparable hard-tech focus and deep R&D resources, though operating as a venture-backed entity rather than government lab-embedded program.
- Elemental Excelerator: Honolulu-based accelerator funding and scaling climate-tech startups through non-dilutive capital and corporate partnerships. Targets overlapping climate/energy founder segment though with broader geographic reach and larger cohort sizes.
- Greentown Labs: Largest cleantech startup incubator in the U.S. Offers prototyping space, mentorship, and corporate partnerships for hardware/energy startups. Broader portfolio approach versus Innovation Crossroads' narrow cohort model, but serving the same cleantech/hard-tech founder base.
Direct peers
- Chain Reaction Innovations: DOE LEEP program at Argonne National Laboratory providing two-year fellowships for energy entrepreneurs. Identical program structure to Innovation Crossroads as a sister LEEP site, targeting the same hard-tech/energy founder persona.
- Activate (formerly Cyclotron Road): Fellow Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program originally based at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, now expanded to multiple locations. Directly comparable two-year fellowship model for hard-tech/science entrepreneurs with similar fellowship stipend structure and lab access.
- Cyclotron Road / Activate Fellows Cohort: Direct sister LEEP cohort producing hard-tech founders in energy and advanced materials. Active alumni network comparable to Innovation Crossroads alumni base, often competing for the same applicant pool of science PhDs pursuing commercialization.
Others
- ARPA-E: U.S. DOE ARPA-E funds transformative energy R&D with similar risk-tolerance for high-impact energy technologies. Indirectly comparable as a federal funder of early-stage energy innovation, though structured as grants to research institutions and companies rather than founder fellowships.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Innovation Crossroads social profiles
Digital presenceInnovation Crossroads financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Innovation Crossroads leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Innovation Crossroads funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Innovation Crossroads M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Innovation Crossroads
What does Innovation Crossroads do?
Innovation Crossroads is a two-year fellowship program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that supports aspiring hard-tech entrepreneurs in energy and advanced manufacturing. Selected fellows receive a personal living stipend, health insurance stipend, travel allowance, and substantial R&D grant for collaborative research at ORNL, along with comprehensive mentoring to build sustainable business models and commercialize world-changing energy and manufacturing technologies.
Is Innovation Crossroads a public or private company?
Innovation Crossroads is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Innovation Crossroads founded?
Innovation Crossroads was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Innovation Crossroads based?
Innovation Crossroads is headquartered in Oak Ridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does Innovation Crossroads make money?
One revenue line is on record: fellowship Program Support.
Who are Innovation Crossroads's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Newlab, The Engine (MIT), Elemental Excelerator and Greentown Labs. Direct peers are Chain Reaction Innovations, Activate (formerly Cyclotron Road) and Cyclotron Road / Activate Fellows Cohort. ARPA-E is listed as an others.
Does Innovation Crossroads have an API?
No public API is recorded for Innovation Crossroads.
What industry is Innovation Crossroads in?
Innovation Crossroads's product category is Hard-Tech Entrepreneurship Fellowship / Energy Technology Incubator. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAD, Innovation & Design Thinking Programs, with a secondary code of BPAHACAM, Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting. Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8742.