News and Stories

Imagine a severe storm knocks out a neighborhood powerline; while most homes go dark, one homeowner seamlessly manages their backup energy, prioritizing critical appliances. This is not the future—it is happening now with SPAN’s smart electrical panel. SPAN is the only startup company to go through two of the National Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a $55-million technology program funded by Wells Fargo & Company and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced the recipients of a pool of $750,000 in pilot funding as part of its inaugural Scalable Tech Track. The awards aim to Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), an energy technology program funded by Wells Fargo and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced its 2025 Channel Partner Strategic Award winners today. With $1 million in funding, this year’s awards support seven national projects, focusing on commercialization and Read More

At Ponderosa High School in Coconino County, Arizona, students are determined to overcome obstacles on their path to graduation. Some arrive behind on credits, while others are returning to the classroom after time away. The alternative school offers more than a second chance—it is an opportunity for transformation. That is Read More

Beginning in 2019, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) partnered with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri on a series of cohorts focused on sustainable agriculture technologies. For the 10th anniversary of IN2, the program is checking in on the participants of the first cohort of Read More

Stash Energy credits participation in the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) with shaving an entire year off the journey to get their tech into the market. “IN2 allowed us to accelerate the engineering and modeling work that we needed done,” Dan Curwin, VP of market development, said. “We normally need Read More

Beginning in 2019, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) partnered with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri on a series of cohorts focused on sustainable agriculture technologies. For the 10th anniversary of IN2, the program is checking in on the participants of the first cohort of Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a clean technology program funded by Wells Fargo and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), today announced the selection of three startups for its next cohort in the Emerging Tech Track. This cohort targets scalable, drop-in Read More

Beginning in 2019, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) partnered with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri on a series of cohorts focused on sustainable agriculture technologies. For the 10th anniversary of IN2, the program is checking in on the participants of the first cohort of Read More

NETenergy, founded by Said Al-Hallaj, is at the forefront of energy storage innovation with its thermal batteries designed to improve energy efficiency in buildings heating and cooling applications. Unlike traditional HVAC system powered by electricity or natural gas, NETenergy’s system leverages a two-fluid design, using refrigerants to “store cold” by Read More

As companies increasingly commit to ambitious clean energy and decarbonization goals, many face a daunting challenge: where to begin. Identifying the most impactful steps to reduce carbon emissions, especially in the building sector, is a complex and overwhelming task. This is where simuwatt steps in. “One of the first steps Read More

In 2023, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) chose seven winners for its seventh Channel Partner Strategic Awards cycle. This funding addresses gaps in the cleantech and agtech ecosystems, with the goal to eliminate barriers startups face on the road to commercialization. Many awardees focused on supporting pilot and demonstration Read More

In 2023, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) chose seven winners for its seventh Channel Partner Strategic Awards cycle. This funding addresses gaps in the cleantech and agtech ecosystems, with the goal to eliminate barriers startups face on the road to commercialization. Many awardees focused on supporting pilot and demonstration Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a $50 million clean technology program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced today it selected 10 organizations to participate in the inaugural cohort of the new Scalable Tech Track program for cleantech Read More

In 2023, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) chose seven winners for its seventh Channel Partner Strategic Awards cycle. This funding addresses gaps in the cleantech and agtech ecosystems, with the goal to eliminate barriers startups face on the road to commercialization. Many awardees focused on supporting pilot and demonstration Read More

In 2024, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) celebrates its 10th anniversary under the management of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. As part of the 10-year celebration, NREL is looking back at IN2’s inaugural cohort to see how the companies have progressed over the last Read More

In 2023, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) chose seven winners for its seventh Channel Partner Strategic Awards cycle. This funding addresses gaps in the cleantech and agtech ecosystems, with the goal to eliminate barriers startups face on the road to commercialization. Many awardees focused on supporting pilot and demonstration Read More

In 2024, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) celebrates its 10th anniversary under the management of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. As part of the 10-year celebration, NREL is looking back at IN2’s inaugural cohort to see how the companies have progressed over the last Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced today a partnership with Overlay Capital to accelerate cleantech adoption. The initiative will allow real estate developers, builders, Read More

As the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) celebrates its tenth anniversary, it is important to acknowledge that without the Channel Partner network, the program would not be where it is today. “It was part of our master plan from the beginning,” said Kate Moore, head of Partnerships, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Read More

For its 10th anniversary, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) is expanding in a major way. “We are moving along with the rest of the market—which is all about deployment,” current IN2 Program Manager Sarah Derdowski said. “One of the hardest challenges in the cleantech industry is overcoming that last Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — Today, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a $50 million clean technology program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, announced its eighth cycle of IN2 Channel Partner Strategic Awards. This year, IN2 distributed $767,000 across 15 organizations within the Read More

In 2024, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) celebrates its 10th anniversary under the management of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. As part of the 10-year celebration, NREL is looking back at IN2’s inaugural cohort to see how the companies have progressed over the last Read More

For its 10th cohort, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) formed an all-demonstration group where each participant would scope and perform a demonstration of their technologies as part of the program. The IN2 startups will complete their demonstrations over the next year or two, helping them in their goal to see Read More

For its 10th cohort, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) formed an all-demonstration group where each participant would scope and perform a demonstration of its technologies as part of the program. The IN2 startups will complete their demonstrations over the next year or two, helping them in their goal to see Read More

Thomas Edison focused on more than lightbulbs. He also spent time investigating alternative supplies to natural rubber for his friend Henry Ford. This came as Ford tried to establish rubber tree plantations in South America but failed for a variety of reasons, including due to disease. Eventually, disease would almost Read More

The smell of freshly cut grass is a scent many people enjoy, but from the grass, it is a warning. That smell is something grass emits in response to an attack. Another expression plants give to an attack are peptides, which are strings of amino acids. Peptyde Bio uses these Read More

When startups join the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program, they get assigned a principal investigator (PI) to help guide them through the process. This person is the startup’s go-to contact regarding technical questions and research advancement at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) or the Donald Danforth Plant Science Read More

Money is often the obstacle that keeps both building owners and occupiers from embracing clean energy upgrades. Tallarna hopes to change that through its “Decarbonization-as-a-Service” offering, which guarantees the performance of clean energy technologies and uses a shared savings model to raise private finance to fund the works. “If you Read More

A scientist co-discovered phages, viruses that only target bacteria, in 1915 and used them to treat cholera during a 1927 epidemic. The emergence of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the 1940s put the research and use of phages on the backburner. However, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is changing that and Cytophage Read More

What WattIQ was doing when it joined the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program is fairly different from what it does now. The lessons from IN2 helped them discover they needed to make a pivot that has since put it on a path to success. While starting as a company focused Read More

In early 2022, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) chose seven winners for its sixth Channel Partner Strategic Awards cycle. This funding addresses gaps in the cleantech ecosystem and aims to eliminate barriers startups face on the road to commercialization. Many awardees focused on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion support, Read More

When Turntide Technologies joined the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) in 2017, they had a small group and an untested product. Since then, they’ve scaled to more than 500 employees, and its motors now help cool and heat hundreds of commercial buildings and dairy barns worldwide for a fraction of Read More

In early 2022, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) chose seven winners for its sixth Channel Partner Strategic Awards cycle. This funding addresses gaps in the cleantech ecosystem and aims to eliminate barriers startups face on the road to commercialization. Many awardees focused on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion support, Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced today it selected seven startups to participate in the program’s 12th cohort. The cohort consists of sustainable agriculture companies focused on Read More

The idea of dimming your living room windows from an app may seem futuristic, but it has roots in the late 1980s. Electronically dimmable glass was invented over 30 years ago and has since gone into millions of car rear and side-view mirrors and thousands of Boeing and Airbus passenger Read More

Nationwide, it is increasingly difficult for families to find affordable housing opportunities. Once considered an issue isolated to major cities such as New York and San Francisco, the problem has become widespread, with Freddie Mac estimating that the nation is short 3.8 million housing units, a deficit that doubled from Read More

In early 2022, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) chose seven winners for its sixth cycle of the Channel Partner Strategic Awards. This funding addresses gaps in the cleantech ecosystem and aims to eliminate barriers startups face on the road to commercialization. Many awardees focused on improving diversity, equity, and Read More

In the process of creating photovoltaic smart glass, or window coatings that also absorb light and turn it into electricity, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc. COO Brenton Taylor laments that it would be easier but unfortunately, that is not the case. “The thing about the window Read More

The way Co-Founder and CEO of Shifted Energy Forest Frizzell explains it, the family Shifted Energy helped thought something was wrong. Shifted Energy installed a new grid connected heat pump water heater system in the home. When the family got the energy bill, they called Hawaiian Electric because the price Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — Today, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced its seventh cycle of Channel Partner Strategic Awards. This year, IN2 distributed $970,000 among seven winners to Read More

Ladybug Tools software aids in building design and helps architects and engineers make smarter decisions. Co-founder Christopher Mackey explains why what his company’s software does is important with a simple example of triple-pane windows. These windows offer more insulation, keeping heating and cooling from escaping a building, ultimately lowering energy costs. However, Read More

When most people consider purchasing an electric vehicle (EV), they have to account for the cost of an electrician making upgrades (panel, plug, etc.) to accommodate it, and that can cost up to $5,000 in some markets. This additional cost has become a barrier for EV adoption, and the added Read More

In 2021, combining experts from both the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) launched a cohort of five startups focused on indoor agriculture. Working toward breakthroughs in lighting, water use, sensors, Read More

Toxic refrigerants, excessive energy usage, uncomfortable humidity—problems with air conditioning are only getting worse. According to Blue Frontier CEO Daniel Betts, given present trends, by 2050, the electricity consumption of global air conditioning will equal to the entire consumption of electricity of both India and China today. “Air conditioning is Read More

Cultivating a resilient cleantech ecosystem is critical to combating climate change and realizing a zero-carbon future. If we’ve learned anything from the natural world, it’s that resilience stems from diversity. Fortunately, there is increasing recognition of the value diversity can bring to the space, and the unique contributions that women Read More

When multifamily structures and commercial building owners are considering energy efficiency measures, geothermal heating and cooling is often discarded because it requires too large of a footprint outside the building for the ground loop. Darcy Solutions looks to change that. “We make geothermal heating and cooling practical for commercial and Read More

2022 was the year of demonstrating solutions. Not only did our portfolio companies demonstrate solutions for potential customers and investors—IN2 demonstrated itself, yet again, as a solution for accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy. IN2 welcomed nine new companies into its portfolio in 2022, representing building, mobility, and agricultural technologies. Read More

In plant biology, one cell becoming two is a common and rapid occurrence, but one plant biology company becoming two is typically a rare and slow occurrence. However, a catalyst provided by the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) in 2022 enabled Plastomics, an IN2 cohort company, to divide and a Read More

In January 2023, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) founded and convened the inaugural Channel Partner Advisory Board (CAB) to guide the strategy of Channel Partner Network program over the next few years. The seven board members, who will serve for at least a year, are representative of the diverse Read More

CoverCress Inc. (CCI) developed a new oil seed branded CoverCress™, derived from field pennycress. The grain is now used as a novel rotational cash crop that fits into existing corn and soybean rotation, allowing farmers to grow three crops in two seasons. This innovative crop delivers benefits for multiple end-uses, Read More

In 2019, IN2 invited its portfolio companies to participate in the VERGE conference to highlight their energy related technologies. During that event 75F and J2 Innovations met for the first time. J2 Innovations’ VP of Customer Experience Scott Muench said, “As an alumnus of the IN2 program and a tech company Read More

For its 10th cohort, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) formed an all-demonstration group where each participant would scope and perform a demonstration of their technologies as part of the program. The IN2 startups will complete their demonstrations over the next year or two, helping them in their goal to Read More

For its 10th cohort, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) formed an all-demonstration group where each participant would scope and perform a demonstration of their technologies as part of the program. The IN2 startups will complete their demonstrations over the next year or two, helping them in their goal to Read More

For its latest National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-based cohort, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) formed an all-demonstration group, where each participant would create a demonstration of their technologies as part of the program. The IN2 startups will complete their demonstrations over the next several years, helping them in their goal Read More

When CEO and Founder of Innovation Corridor Investments Eric Drummond began his legal career more than 25 years ago, he was often the only minority in the room. He would think to himself: this is what happens when you’re breaking new ground and we have progress to make. “Now, I’m Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced today it selected five startups to participate in the program’s 11th cohort. The cohort consists of Read More

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture accounted for 10% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. Mitigating those emissions requires sustainable agricultural processes that work for farmers’ business models as well as the environment. Companies are working the problem, sequestering carbon and avoiding emissions with cash cover Read More

The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) identifies, validates, and scales promising cleantech startups, with the goal of commercializing high-impact, low-carbon solutions for the built environment and agriculture sectors. One of the most important factors our board and industry experts consider when selecting which startups are accepted into the IN2 program Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, announced the program’s first cohort focused on demonstration projects. The tenth IN2 cohort consists of five companies ready Read More

In order to transition to the energy system of the future and decarbonize our economy, we need to scale innovative new technologies. But did you know that an estimated 90% to 95% of startups fail due to a lack of proper financial and technical resources? This is especially true for Read More

On January 20, 2022, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, announced seven winners for its sixth cycle of Channel Partner Strategic Awards. Originally launched in 2017, the Read More

The External Advisory Boards play a significant role in the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) program, with each representatives’ insights helping to determine the companies selected for the program. The housing and commercial buildings board consists of industry and academic experts in the built environment space. With the recent announcement Read More

On September 23, 2021, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced a partnership with Farmers Business Network, a technology enabled, direct-to-farm commerce, community and sustainability platform helping Read More

BUSINESS WIRE — Global food demand is anticipated to grow by 60 percent within the next 30 years. To meet the demand sustainably, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Read More

On May 20, 2021, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator, a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced that its eighth cohort consists of five startups that share a focus on technologies that help Read More

On March 8, 2021, Wells Fargo announced a major step in its efforts to support the transition to a low-carbon economy by setting a goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions—including its financed emissions—by 2050. To help meet this ambitious goal, Wells Fargo will measure and disclose financed emissions for Read More

On February 24, 2021, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a $50 million collaboration between the Wells Fargo Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, announced the four newest winners of its Channel Partner Awards. Channel Partner Awards are presented twice annually to members of IN2’s Read More

“We tried that already and it didn’t work.” Those were the words that AeroShield CEO Elise Strobach heard from the glass industry when she described her new material for windows. AeroShield Moves Forward on a (Crystal) Clear Path to Market Few could believe Strobach had found a way to make Read More

Cover crops have long offered huge promise for sustainability: They reduce soil erosion, prevent runoff, improve soil health, and sequester carbon. But for farmers running a business, cover crops often don’t pencil out. There is a cost to buy seeds, plant them, and in many cases terminate them. There is Read More

Significant energy efficiency gains can be found right under our noses, within the systems that are so ingrained in our modern lives that we take them for granted. For instance, electric motors account for more than half of the world’s electricity consumption, yet have seen very few technological advancements over Read More

On May 21, 2020, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, announced that it has selected six new participating startups focused on agriculture technology solutions to join the Read More

On May 18, 2020, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) announced that it has accelerated its awards program to provide $900,000 to help cleantech and sustainable agriculture startups retain staff and stay on track to bring their potentially game-changing solutions to market in the face of impacts due to COVID-19. Read More

On March 31, 2020, the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced eight new Channel Partner Award winners. The award program strengthens sustainable technology initiatives and fosters Read More

In 2019, the Wells Fargo Foundation launched a new philanthropic strategy anchored around unlocking economic opportunity for people and communities by addressing housing affordability, small business growth and financial health. The Foundation invested $455 million in grants in the last year, funding national organizations to deliver programs at scale and Read More

Technology innovation can impact markets in big ways. But often, those impacts are only obvious to industry insiders who are focused on important, but incremental change. Not so with IN2 portfolio company Blokable. In 2020, this housing developer and creator of building systems provided actual, tangible affordable housing to a Read More

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) around the world is projected to reach 35 million by 2022.  Beyond the challenge of designing and manufacturing the vehicles themselves, all those EVs need a robust, smart charging infrastructure. Enter PowerFlex, a Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) cleantech start up that developed an Read More