An Afternoon with Activate and Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials
Keep the conversation going, or start a new one!
Join Activate Berkeley and Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials on Thursday, October 22nd, for an afternoon of connection, conversation, and exploration across the energy and materials ecosystem.
Whether you’re a founder, investor, researcher, corporate partner, operator, or friend of the community, connect with others working to advance tough technology and build a more sustainable future.
The afternoon will include:
4:00 - 5:00 PM: Fireside Chat with Chris Eiben - Hear about Chris’s journey as a founder, from the challenges and setbacks to the breakthroughs and lessons learned along the way.
5:00 - 6:30 PM: Guided Facility Tours + Networking Reception
Come for the conversation, stay for the connections, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the work happening at Bakar Labs.
Drinks and appetizers will be plentifully provided!
About Chris Eiben:
Chris is sowing the seeds for a plentiful future by building deep tech companies solving sustainability challenges. The initial technical insight leading to GigaCrop's photosynthesis mission was drawn from Chris's strong science background. Chris earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley, focusing on synthetic metabolism and protein engineering in Jay Keasling's lab. He has published his academic work in peer reviewed journals including Nature Biotechnology, and ACS Synthetic Biology. Chris has also authored several patent applications for technology he has developed. To complement his science background, Chris pursued two years of entrepreneurial training via the prestigious Activate fellowship. Outside of company building, Chris loves music, working out, and offbeat cinema.
About Bakar Labs:
Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials (BL-EM) is an initiative out of UC Berkeley that expands the university's renowned Bakar Bio Labs model beyond biotech into technologies across renewable energy systems, materials science, efficient manufacturing methods, food and agricultural production, waste management, circularity, and planetary health.
BL-EM has a number of programs underway, including:
A pilot incubation program providing physical space, shared equipment, and fractional services to Pre-Seed to Series A startups
A 2.5 day venture studio program focused on rapid commercialization and investment for pre-incorporation projects and academic spinouts
Expert symposia on frontier topics; past events include Efficient compute, AI, and climate, energy and material efficient construction, and our current symposium on strategic horizons in critical minerals and materials
As part of UC Berkeley's commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, BL-EM will move into its permanent home at the western entrance of campus, a 145,000-square-foot facility scheduled to open in early 2028. The building will include highly flexible wet laboratory and office space and will serve as a dedicated hub for innovation and community with partners from across campus, the National Laboratories, and around the world.
About Activate:
Activate transforms scientists and engineers into hard-tech founders, providing the mindsets, skills, and community needed to turn breakthrough research into real-world impact.
To support early-stage science entrepreneurs globally, Activate offers several initiatives:
The US Activate Fellowship: A comprehensive two-year program offering early-stage funding, dedicated mentorship, and an unparalleled national network.
This includes Activate Berkeley, a partnership with the Cyclotron Road LEEP program at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that gives founders dedicated time and access to world-class technical resources within the Berkeley research ecosystem to build transformative ventures.
Fellowship applications are open now through October 30th! To apply and learn more about the fellowship, visit activate.org/apply.
The Singapore Fellowship: Expanding the proven Activate model internationally to support and empower hard-tech innovators developing solutions in Southeast Asia's thriving deep-tech ecosystem.
Japan & Louisiana BRIDGE Programs: BRIDGE equips innovators with a clear path from the lab to the market, providing early cost models, pitch skills, and the strategic relationships needed to successfully launch their technologies.