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Architect rendering of the future BCH building

The Hartford Partners With UC Berkeley’s Bakar Labs For Energy & Materials To Support Innovation, Emerging Companies

The Hartford is partnering with the University of California, Berkeley’s Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials (BL-EM) to help startup companies who are developing next-generation energy and materials technologies. The insurer will support the initiative, as well as provide counseling, educational programming and other mentorship opportunities to its entrepreneurial tenants. Read post
Root corn spore trapping devices deployed in a corn field

Spraying Fungicide to Protect the Crop in Minnesota

Root Applied Sciences has set up spore capture devices across the southern tier of Minnesota. The company developed its approach while pioneering detection and treatment for diseases that affect grapevines at vineyards. To protect their valuable produce, winemakers were spraying numerous times across a growing season. Root Applied Sciences developed a way of detecting and modeling infection that allowed those growers to cut their application in half. Read post
IGI-Bakar Labs and Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials construction site July 2026

Two Bakar Labs incubators anchor new Berkeley Innovation Zone

The Berkeley Innovation Zone on the west side of UC Berkeley -- between campus and downtown -- showcases how the City of Berkeley is working with the university to welcome and support entrepreneurs, in a cultural change that could ultimately bring in more revenue. BIZ includes two incubators currently under construction: IGI-Bakar Labs and Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials. Read post

How one startup is using prebiotics to try and ease the copper shortage

TECHCRUNCH – To scale up its technology, Transition Metal Solutions has raised a $6 million seed round, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The round was led by Transition Ventures with participation from Astor Management AG, Climate Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, Essential Capital, Juniper VC, Kayak Ventures, New Climate Ventures, Possible Ventures, SOSV, and Understorey Ventures. Read post

Transition Metal scales microbe tech for copper recovery

MINING.COM – Transition Biomining, now rebranded as Transition Metal Solutions, has raised an oversubscribed $6 million seed round to scale a chemical approach that activates native microbes to lift copper yields from low-grade sulfide ores without changing mine infrastructure. Read post
Two scientists in white lab coats at the lab bench

Startup makes incredible breakthrough that could solve major problem with plastic: ‘A new technology’

Wang told NBC that the company is hoping to deliver a product in two to three years that would be a more expensive, durable plastic used for furniture or plastic tools, as opposed to a solution for inexpensive plastic bottles, leaving room for other innovators to step in. To sway investors during a time when the U.S. administration appears unwilling to support green initiatives, Wang sees profitability as a key to success. "If we really want to push all these things forward, the profit is most important," Wang concluded in the article. "We hope with a new technology, all the parties involved in this industry, they can make the profit and then people can build the circular economy with a self-motivation." Read post
Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials: rendering as seen from Oxford St to the east

Construction begins on Bakar Labs incubator for energy-efficient startups

UC Berkeley has begun construction on the Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials facility, which will be designed as a business incubator for startups working on innovating the energy and materials science industries. The incubator is a partnership between Bakar Labs, Turner Construction Company and campus. Architecture firm Gensler, as well as engineering and design services company A Squared Solutions, also collaborated with Turner on the facility. The planned five-story, 145,000-square-foot building will provide lab and office space for up to 75 early-stage companies with specialized equipment and support. It is intended to maximize UC Berkeley’s mission of providing long-term societal benefit. Read post
A group of people pose with shovels in a construction site

Turner Breaks Ground on Bakar Labs for Energy + Materials at UC Berkeley

“Turner is honored to partner with everyone on the Bakar Labs for Energy + Materials project," said Manu Garg, Project Executive, Turner Construction Company. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to excellence and innovation in delivering complex research facilities. We look forward to contributing our expertise to a project that exemplifies the power of collaboration in advancing research and innovation.” Read post