NEW ORLEANS (press release) — Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) has awarded $175,000 in grants to Louisiana energy startups through its inaugural Super Pitch competition. These companies will receive funding and resources to accelerate their growth and help them commercialize their innovative solutions for a sustainable energy future.
Through a competitive application process, four Louisiana energy companies – Encore CO2, MaxBoring, NovaSpark Energy and Zentech Concrete Solutions – were selected to compete in FUEL’s inaugural Super Pitch competition on Feb. 5 to showcase their innovations through a 10-minute pitch followed by a 10-minute Q&A session with a panel of judges. The awards were distributed as follows:
First-Place Winner ($100,000): Zentech Concrete Solutions
Revolutionizing pavement preservation, Zentech Concrete Solutions offers an alternative to traditional slurry seals, creating a protective pavement coating that produces zero or negative carbon emissions. Using Louisiana-sourced materials including river sand and recycled coal plant waste (fly ash), the company’s engineered concrete mixture offers greater flexibility, durability and cost savings compared to traditional concrete seals.
Second-Place Winner ($50,000): Encore CO2
Encore CO2 is pioneering a new era of chemical manufacturing with its carbon recycling solutions. The company’s electrolyzer technology combines CO2 with water to create ethanol, a chemical used to make alcoholic drinks, disinfectants, fuels and more. Encore CO2 is using carbon emissions from a local brewery to create the world’s first hard seltzer made from CO2.
Third-Place Winner ($25,000): NovaSpark Energy
NovaSpark Energy has developed the world’s first mobile atmospheric hydrogen generator, which takes water out of the air and transforms it to hydrogen on-the-go. This innovation serves both military and commercial needs, providing on-site hydrogen production for applications such as backup fueling, disaster recovery and improved energy resilience.
Fourth-Place Winner: MaxBoring
With a mission to transform waste into energy, MaxBoring captures natural gas burned in flares and turns it into electricity. The company is focused on exploring solutions to reduce the high electricity costs and meet the high-power demands of data centers with this cost-effective alternative.
As the fourth-place winner, MaxBoring is prized with the opportunity to connect with Innovation Catalyst – a nonprofit venture development organization – providing a unique networking opportunity with potential investors and advisors.
“FUEL is proud to support these companies that are leading energy innovation for Louisiana and the world,” said Stephen Loy, FUEL’s Director of Technology Commercialization. “With these investments through our Super Pitch competition, we’re showcasing how Louisiana is the premier place for innovators to quickly commercialize their energy innovations and bring competitive, Louisiana-made products and solutions to the global market.”
Super Pitch supports FUEL’s mission to position Louisiana as a global leader in energy innovation. With a key focus on technology commercialization, FUEL aims to turn projects in Louisiana universities’ labs and garages into innovative enterprises. Working with its robust network of industry and capital partners, FUEL provides entrepreneurs with the tools and resources needed to bring their products to market faster.
“Supporting energy innovators in their entrepreneurial journey is an integral part of FUEL’s mission to position Louisiana to lead the future use of energy,” said Dr. Mike Mazzola, FUEL’s Executive Director. “We are pleased to award these companies through our competitive Super Pitch program as they pave the way to an innovative and sustainable energy future in Louisiana and for the world.”
Learn more about FUEL’s work in technology commercialization here.
About Future Use of Energy in Louisiana
Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) positions the state as a global energy innovation leader through high-impact technology development and innovation that supports the energy industry in lowering carbon emissions. FUEL brings together a growing team of universities, community and technical colleges, state agencies and industry and capital partners led by LSU. With $160 million in funding from the National Science Foundation through the NSF Engines program—the largest and most competitive award ever provided by the agency—and an additional $67.5 million from Louisiana Economic Development, FUEL will advance our nation’s capacity for energy innovation through use-inspired research and development, workforce development and technology commercialization.
