MIT announces 16 new startups in the START.nano program focused on frontier technologies
MIT.nano has just confirmed that 16 new startups have officially joined the START.nano program in 2025, more than doubling the number of companies onboarded in the previous edition. The news sent ripples through the global hard tech innovation ecosystem and underscores the growing role that nanotechnology and so-called deep technologies are playing in the strategies of major research and development institutions.
What really stands out, though, is not just the number of companies selected. It is the kind of problem each one is trying to solve — from portable gene sequencing to lithium-ion batteries free of critical metals, spanning quantum computing, ultra-high-temperature carbon capture, and next-generation semiconductors. 🌍
These are technologies that do not yet exist at commercial scale, but they carry real potential to transform the way we live, work, and consume energy in the coming years. And it is precisely this kind of challenge — complex, risky, and long-term — that START.nano was designed to tackle.
What is START.nano and how does it work
Launched in 2021, START.nano is an accelerator program created by MIT.nano — the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s nanotechnology research facility — with the specific goal of increasing the survival rate of hard tech startups. The core idea is to ease the transition of these companies from the lab to the real market by offering a set of resources that would normally be out of reach for early-stage ventures.
Participants receive discounted access to MIT.nano’s shared facilities, which include state-of-the-art fabrication and characterization labs. They also get guided access to MIT’s broader innovation ecosystem, opportunities to present at institutional conferences, and participation in exclusive events like the recently launched PITCH.nano competition.
Unlike more traditional accelerator programs focused on digital business models or rapid growth, START.nano understands that certain innovations need a different timeline to mature. Manufacturing a new type of semiconductor or developing a novel catalyst for sustainable fuel production is not like launching an app — it requires physical prototyping, rigorous technical validation, and iterations that can take months or years. The program was designed to provide exactly the support this process demands.
As Joyce Wu, START.nano program manager and MIT graduate, points out, MIT.nano’s unique resources enable not only fundamental academic research but also the translation of that research into commercial innovations through startups. The accelerator supports early-stage companies, both from within MIT and beyond, providing the tools and network they need to move forward with greater confidence. 🔬
Who are the 16 startups selected in 2025
The companies joining this edition cover an impressive spectrum of fields, but they all share one trait: they are tackling problems that nobody has solved satisfactorily at scale yet. Let’s meet each of them and what they are building.
Health and biotechnology
Acorn Genetics is creating what it describes as the smartphone of gene sequencing — a portable, fast, and affordable device that takes the power of genetic analysis out of centralized labs and puts it directly in consumers’ hands. Imagine running a DNA sequence with the same convenience as using an over-the-counter rapid test at your local pharmacy.
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Augmend Health combines virtual reality and artificial intelligence to deliver clinical data intelligence services in specialty care. The goal is to transform incomplete medical documentation into information that drives revenue, regulatory compliance, and better treatment decisions.
Cahira Technologies is developing autonomous, non-surgical neural implants, creating what it calls a new paradigm of brain-computer symbiosis for the treatment of intractable diseases and the augmentation of human capabilities.
Rheyo is working on new ways to make dental care more effective, efficient, and accessible through advanced materials and technology applied to dentistry.
Energy and climate
Addis Energy leverages oil, gas, and geothermal drilling technologies to unlock the chemical potential of iron-rich rocks. By injecting engineered fluids into these formations, the company harnesses the Earth’s natural energy to produce ammonia abundantly and cost-effectively — a promising pathway toward more sustainable fertilizers and fuels.
Daqus Energy is unlocking high-energy lithium-ion batteries using organic cathodes free of critical metals. This directly addresses one of the biggest bottlenecks in the energy transition — the dependence on materials like cobalt and manganese, which have problematic and geographically concentrated supply chains.
Electrified Thermal Solutions is reinventing the firebrick to electrify industrial heat. It might sound simple, but process heat accounts for a massive share of global energy consumption, and electrifying it is one of the biggest challenges in industrial decarbonization.
Mantel Capture engineers carbon capture materials capable of operating at the high temperatures found inside industrial boilers, kilns, and furnaces — enabling highly efficient carbon capture that, until now, simply was not possible with available technologies. 🌱
Copernic Catalysts uses computational modeling to develop and commercialize transformative catalysts aimed at the low-cost, sustainable production of basic chemicals and e-fuels — the synthetic fuels gaining traction in decarbonization strategies for sectors that are hard to electrify.
Semiconductors and advanced materials
Vertical Semiconductor is commercializing vertical gallium nitride technology — known as vertical GaN — delivering high-voltage, high-density, and high-efficiency solutions designed to power the next era of computing. Cynthia Liao, CEO and co-founder of the company and an MIT MBA graduate, described START.nano as a strategic advantage that accelerates the company’s roadmap, enabling rapid iterations to meet customer needs and strengthen market competitiveness.
VioNano Innovations develops specialized materials solutions that reduce variability and improve precision in semiconductor manufacturing. The goal is to enable chipmakers to build components that are even smaller, faster, and more cost-effective — something essential to keeping pace with Moore’s Law.
Brightlight Photonics is building high-performance laser infrastructure at the chip scale, integrating Titanium:Sapphire gain to deliver broadband, high-power, low-noise optical sources for advanced photonic systems.
Guardion is making analytical instruments, chemical detectors, and radiation detectors more sensitive, portable, and scalable through nanomaterial-based ion detectors.
Quantum computing
Quantum Formatics uses proprietary artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of the world’s next superconductors. Jason Gibson, CEO and co-founder, emphasized that the combination of infrastructure and community offered by START.nano has been irreplaceable for an early-stage startup working at the frontier of superconductor discovery.
nOhm Devices develops high-efficiency cryogenic electronics for quantum computers and sensors — an essential component for making these machines more practical and scalable.
And Qunett is building the foundational hardware stack for deployable quantum networks, designed to power the next era of global connectivity. ⚛️
MIT connection and founder profiles
Although MIT affiliation is not a mandatory requirement to participate in START.nano, the connection to the institution runs strong in this new cohort. Five of the 16 selected companies are led by MIT alumni, and three others have some form of tie to the university. Overall, looking at the program’s entire history, 49% of START.nano startups were founded by MIT graduates.
This data point matters because it shows the program works as a natural bridge between cutting-edge academic research and the market — a role that very few institutions in the world can play with this level of effectiveness. At the same time, the fact that half of the companies come from outside MIT’s direct ecosystem demonstrates that the program is open and accessible to founders with diverse backgrounds, as long as they are working on genuinely transformative technologies.
The current state of START.nano
With this new class, START.nano now brings together more than 32 active companies and 11 graduates — ventures that have already moved past the prototyping stages and, in some cases, have entered the commercialization phase. That is a robust portfolio for a program that is only four years old and operates in a segment that is notoriously difficult for entrepreneurs.
When we talk about hard tech, the reality is that most startups do not survive the so-called valley of death — that period between technical validation in the lab and revenue generation in the market. Programs like START.nano exist precisely to reduce that mortality rate by providing infrastructure, a network of contacts, and visibility at a time when most companies of this kind would be struggling on their own to figure out the next step.
What this movement means for the global innovation ecosystem
When a program tied to MIT expands its reach and more than doubles the number of startups it supports, it creates a cascading effect that goes well beyond the companies directly involved. The global innovation ecosystem watches these moves closely, because they serve as signals of what is being considered promising and strategic by those operating at the frontier of knowledge.
Venture capital investors, large corporations, governments, and other accelerator programs around the world tend to calibrate their own bets based on what institutions like MIT are prioritizing. And this edition of START.nano is saying a lot about where the next waves of technological innovation are likely to concentrate — personalized health, clean energy, advanced materials, next-generation semiconductors, and quantum infrastructure.
Beyond that, the program’s growth reinforces an important narrative: that deep tech is no longer a niche restricted to a handful of well-funded labs. The conditions for developing this type of technology are progressively becoming more accessible — whether through advances in computational simulation tools, the decreasing cost of manufacturing processes, or the growing availability of patient capital willing to wait the time these companies need to generate returns. 🚀
For Brazil and other countries building more robust innovation ecosystems, the START.nano model also serves as a concrete reference point. It is not about copying a ready-made formula, but about understanding the principles that make this kind of initiative work — access to quality infrastructure, specialized technical mentorship, a real connection to the market, and careful curation of those who are solving problems that truly matter for the future.
The 16 startups that just entered START.nano represent bold bets on technologies that may take years to mature. But if the history of innovation teaches us anything, it is that the most profound transformations usually start exactly like this — with small teams, working on enormous problems, inside environments that offer the right conditions for ambitious ideas to have a real shot at becoming reality.
