Sixteen new START.nano companies are developing hard-tech solutions with the support of MIT.nano

MIT.nano’s START.nano accelerator has expanded its roster, adding 16 innovative startups in 2025 and bringing the total number of participating companies to over 30. With this growth, the program continues to promote the transition of high-impact hard-tech advances from the research lab to the marketplace, offering founders access to state-of-the-art facilities and the broader MIT innovation ecosystem.

Accelerating hard-tech innovation

START.nano, launched in 2021, empowers early-stage ventures to overcome the technical and financial barriers of commercializing deep technology. Startups benefit from reduced rates to use MIT.nano’s labs, mentoring, networking opportunities, and access to exclusive events such as PITCH.nano.

Almost half of the new cohort’s companies are led by MIT alumni or have direct university ties. This illustrates the strength and reach of MIT’s entrepreneurial community in advancing next-generation solutions.

Meet the new cohort

• Acorn Genetics: Creating portable, affordable DNA sequencing devices for consumer use.
• Addis Energy: Harnessing iron-rich geology and engineered fluids to produce sustainable ammonia for energy and industry.
• Augmend Health: Leveraging AI and VR to transform medical documentation and specialty care decisions.
• Brightlight Photonics: Developing chip-scale high-power lasers for advanced photonic systems.
• Cahira Technologies: Pioneering noninvasive brain-computer interfaces for treating neurological diseases and human augmentation.
• Copernic Catalysts: Using computational tools to invent efficient catalysts for bulk chemicals and sustainable fuels.
• Daqus Energy: Advancing lithium-ion batteries with organic, metal-free cathodes.
• Electrified Thermal Solutions: Electrifying industrial heat with innovative firebrick technology.
• Guardion: Making portable, scalable chemical and radiation detectors based on advanced nanomaterials.
• Mantel Capture: Engineering high-temperature carbon capture materials for efficient industrial applications.
• nOhm Devices: Innovating highly efficient cryogenic electronics for quantum computing and sensing.
• Quantum Formatics: Applying AI to accelerate superconductor discovery.
• Qunett: Building hardware to enable expanded quantum networking.
• Rheyo: Applying advanced materials to improve dental care workflows and outcomes.
• Vertical Semiconductor: Commercializing vertical GaN semiconductors for high-efficiency computing power supplies.
• VioNano Innovations: Producing specialty materials to enhance semiconductor precision and manufacturing yields.

The START.nano portfolio now includes over 30 active companies and 11 graduates, pushing forward breakthroughs in fields such as health, energy, electronics, quantum technology, and materials science. To view the full list of ventures, visit the START.nano website.

For more details, read the original article by Amanda Stoll DiCristofaro on the MIT News website: Sixteen new START.nano companies are developing hard-tech solutions with the support of MIT.nano.