Seven Regional Clean Energy Companies Graduate from Cleantech San Diego Startup Accelerator
| Press Releases
SAN DIEGO, CA, March 11, 2025 – Cleantech San Diego today announced the graduation of seven local clean energy companies – ChargeNet Stations, Helicoid, Paired Power, Redoxblox, Sonocharge, Uprise Energy, and Xtelligent – from its Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN).
SCEIN is an accelerator program for clean energy startups based in San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial counties that are developing technologies to help California meet its clean energy goals. The program offers free business services through a consortium of regional partner organizations and private sector companies to help entrepreneurs successfully bring their energy innovations to market.
Since entering SCEIN, these seven companies have secured multiple customers, built robust sales pipelines, and raised sufficient capital to support the scaling of their breakthrough energy businesses. A company graduates from SCEIN when it is mutually agreed that they have utilized the full range of resources and referrals made available to them. Seventeen regional clean energy companies have now graduated the program after receiving customized business service plans from SCEIN.
“SCEIN is pleased to have been able to provide services and support that has enabled all seven of these innovative companies to accelerate market traction of their breakthrough clean energy solutions,” said Zac Dobbin, Director of SCEIN. “Each of their products create exciting new ways for customers to reduce energy use, save money, and curb greenhouse gas emissions – all while creating new jobs and furthering California’s cleantech economy and energy goals.”
Cleantech San Diego launched the SCEIN program in 2016 after winning a grant from the California Energy Commission. Over the program’s nine years of operation, SCEIN member companies have commercialized innovative technologies that are accelerating market transformation in transportation electrification, grid and building decarbonization, energy efficiency, and resiliency.
To date, 78 companies have been served by SCEIN, 38 of which are currently active in the program. Together, these startups employ 851 people, have had 527 patents approved, and have raised over $672 million in follow-on funding from public and private sources since being accepted into the program. 82 percent of SCEIN companies have C-Suite diversity.
“Now in its ninth year, the Southern California Energy Innovation Network program is a proven model for success, and we are tremendously grateful to the California Energy Commission for the vision they had for our program to help the next wave of energy entrepreneurs bring their technologies to market, while ensuring the state of California remains competitive in the clean energy sector,” said Cleantech San Diego President and CEO Jason Anderson. “It is inspiring to see SCEIN companies commercializing cost-effective cleantech solutions that can help all Californians reduce their energy costs and environmental impact.”
SCEIN applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Anyone interested in applying as an entrepreneur or hosting a pilot demonstration project for a cleantech startup can learn more at cleantechsandiego.org/scein.
Quotes from SCEIN Graduates:
“SCEIN has been an integral part of our growth ecosystem,” said Chargenet Stations CEO Venus Jenkins. “They have embraced our inquiries, investor connection points, and support for various grant programs with open arms. They have created an ecosystem with one degree of separation on anything climate related, hence, an incredibly valuable resource for information and connections for entrepreneurs like us.”
“We are grateful to all involved at SCEIN for all their assistance and support over the years,” said Chad Wasilenkoff, CEO of Helicoid. “From introductions to customers, exposure to investors, and assistance in navigating us towards successful grants, our entire experience was great and we would strongly recommend other companies to apply.”
“We are honored and grateful to be a partner with SCEIN,” said RedoxBlox Vice President of Development Scott McNally. “As a group of founders coming from Michigan, the networking and support provided by SCEIN early in our journey has been invaluable. The sponsorship of an MBA student project to perform a business analysis, connections to potential investors and other partners, and participation in events and conferences has been very much appreciated. We look forward to continued engagement in the San Diego cleantech community!”
“SCEN provided Paired Power with enormous support and helpful connections as we grew out of our startup phase to delivering customer product solutions,” said Paired Power CEO Tom McCalmont. “Zac and the SCEIN team provided insights about strategy, connections to potential customers and investors, access to a community of fellow startup CEOs, and introductions to resources and advisors. SCEIN helps entrepreneurs make the connections necessary to breathe life into a startup, helping them achieve financial stability. I can’t thank SCEIN enough for their help to our organization.”
“The mentorship, opportunities, and connections from SCEIN have been valuable to our growth, said Sonocharge CEO An Huang. “Their support in identifying and securing grants, leveraging the network to connect us with industry partnership and services, and connecting with entrepreneurs across California has been invaluable to our journey.”
“SCEIN has provided Uprise Energy with a continuous and reliable source of support, offering invitations to key industry events, introductions to valuable networking opportunities, and top-tier resources through the region’s premier cleantech organization,” said Uprise Energy Co-Founder and CEO Jonathan Knight. “Their friendly and helpful staff have been instrumental in guiding our growth, connecting us with advisors and partners who understand our technology, and opening doors that have helped accelerate our mission of delivering mobile wind power solutions to communities worldwide.”
About the Graduating Startups:
Chargenet Stations is an EV charging development and operations platform for the U.S. quick-serve markets. The team’s decades’ experience in energy and project management brings a turn-key solution delivering high quality DC EV fast charging infrastructure and energy storage assets with their proprietary software. The development platform is highly scalable as it leverages existing infrastructure including grid interconnections and land.
Helicoid’s patented technology allows composite parts to be made ultra-strong. By utilizing Helicoid’s performance-improving architecture composite parts will have improved toughness and impact resistance while at the same time reducing cost and weight. The benefits of the Helicoid™ structure has been demonstrated regardless of the fibers or resins used to create the composite material and implementation requires no change to manufacturing equipment. Helicoid™ is a platform technology that can easily be applied to numerous industries that are constantly searching for lighter and stronger components such as EVs, aerospace, wind turbine blades, or sporting goods.
Paired Power manufactures solar-powered microgrid EV chargers that enable rapid deployment of new electric vehicle infrastructure without requiring expansions of existing grid capacity. Paired Power’s flagship product is PairTree™, a microgrid solar powered EV charger that pairs a 4.6kW solar array with a 42.4 kWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to provide Level 2 EV charging day or night. Paired Power also offers PairFleet, a customizable solar EV charger that can charge fleets of vehicles without requiring grid capacity expansion.
RedoxBlox has developed a high-temperature thermochemical energy storage (TCES) system capable of replacing fossil fuel combustion for industrial heating and grid storage. The unique properties of the RedoxBlox TCES enables fast charging in as little as 4 hours, the ability to charge while discharging, and achieve the same energy density as lithium-ion. Demonstration projects funded by the California Energy Commission and U.S. Department of Energy are currently in progress to showcase replacement of natural gas in an industrial environment, and grid storage capabilities.
Sonocharge is developing a platform solution to improve battery performance with acoustic wave induced electrolytic motion to overcome charging performance and improve safety in lithium batteries. The novel technology provides a reduced-cost solution that extends battery life for e-mobility and various energy storage applications.
Uprise Energy develops innovative, portable wind turbines for on-demand, clean power. Designed for ease of transport and rapid deployment, these turbines are built to provide flexible, cost-effective, and reliable renewable energy in diverse environments—from remote communities to disaster relief sites. Leveraging proprietary technology and a user-friendly design, Uprise Energy enables faster adoption of wind power without the typical logistical hurdles of conventional turbine systems. Through its commitment to modular solutions, Uprise Energy aims to democratize access to wind energy and help communities worldwide reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.
Xtelligent is developing the traffic signal network of tomorrow. By integrating cutting-edge algorithm research with innovative sensing and learning capabilities, Xtelligent is working towards improving road network capacity by 50%+ at a 20x cost reduction. This is estimated to improve transportation efficiency by 20%+ while also enabling scaling of connected, automated, and electric vehicles.
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About Cleantech San Diego
Cleantech San Diego is a member-based business association that positions the greater San Diego region as a global leader in the cleantech economy and smart cities movement. As a nonprofit organization, Cleantech San Diego is uniquely suited to support the industry by fostering collaborations across the private-public-academic landscape, leading advocacy efforts to promote cleantech priorities, and encouraging more equitable investment across the San Diego region. Stakeholders include more than 135 businesses, universities, governments, and nonprofits committed to advancing sustainable solutions for the benefit of the economy, the environment, and all members of the community. Learn more at cleantechsandiego.org.
About the Southern California Energy Innovation Network
The Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN) is a free incubator program for clean energy startups based in San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial counties that are developing technologies to help California meet its climate goals. The program provides access to the resources and facilities of regional partner organizations and connections with industry in order to accelerate the commercialization of emerging energy technologies. Managed by Cleantech San Diego, the program is the result of multiple grants from the California Energy Commission to help advance California’s energy innovation industry. Learn more at cleantechsandiego.org/scein.
Media Contact:
Shannon Bresnahan, Cleantech San Diego, 858-568-7777, shannonb@cleantechsandiego.org
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