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

Source: MIT News - AI

MIT.nano has announced that 16 startups became active participants in its START.nano program in 2025, more than doubling the number of new companies from the previous year. Aimed at speeding the transition of hard‑tech innovation to market, START.nano supports new ventures through discounted use of MIT.nano shared facilities and guided access to the MIT innovation ecosystem. The newly engaged startups are developing solutions for some of the world’s greatest challenges in health, climate, energy, semiconductors, novel materials, and quantum computing.

“The unique resources of MIT.nano enable not just the foundational research of academia, but the translation of that research into commercial innovations through startups,” says START.nano Program Manager Joyce Wu SM ’00, PhD ’07.
“The START.nano accelerator supports early‑stage companies from MIT and beyond with the tools and network they need for success.”

Program overview

• Launched in 2021, START.nano aims to increase the survival rate of hard‑tech startups by easing their journey from the lab to the real world.
• Participants receive access to MIT.nano’s laboratories, present at startup exhibits at MIT conferences, and join exclusive events such as the newly launched PITCH.nano competition.
• Although MIT affiliation is not required, five of the 16 companies are led by MIT alumni and three have MIT affiliation; overall, 49 % of the startups are founded by MIT graduates.

“For an early‑stage startup working at the frontier of superconductor discovery, the combination of infrastructure and community has been irreplaceable,” says Jason Gibson, CEO and co‑founder of Quantum Formatics.
“START.nano isn’t just a resource,” adds Cynthia Liao MBA ’24, CEO and co‑founder of Vertical Semiconductor. “It’s a strategic advantage that accelerates our roadmap, allowing us to iterate quickly to meet customer needs and strengthen our competitive edge.”

Impact of the 16 new START.nano companies

Acorn Genetics

Acorn Genetics is developing a “smartphone of sequencing,” bringing fast, portable, and affordable genetic analysis to consumers.

Addis Energy

Addis Energy leverages oil, gas, and geothermal drilling technologies to unlock the chemical potential of iron‑rich rocks, producing abundant and cost‑effective ammonia via engineered fluids.

Augmend Health

Augmend Health uses virtual reality and AI to deliver clinical data intelligence services for specialty care, turning incomplete documentation into revenue, compliance, and better treatment decisions.

Brightlight Photonics

Brightlight Photonics is building high‑performance laser infrastructure at chip scale, integrating Titanium:Sapphire gain to deliver broadband, high‑power, low‑noise optical sources for advanced photonic systems.

Cahira Technologies

Cahira Technologies is creating a new paradigm of brain‑computer symbiosis for treating intractable diseases and human augmentation through autonomous, nonsurgical neural implants.

Copernic Catalysts

Copernic Catalysts leverages computational modeling to develop and commercialize transformational catalysts for low‑cost, sustainable production of bulk chemicals and e‑fuels.

Daqus Energy

Daqus Energy is unlocking high‑energy lithium‑ion batteries using critical‑metal‑free organic cathodes.

Electrified Thermal Solutions

Electrified Thermal Solutions is reinventing the firebrick to electrify industrial heat.

Guardion

Guardion makes analytical instruments, chemical detectors, and radiation detectors more sensitive, portable, and scalable with nanomaterial‑based ion detectors.

Mantel Capture

Mantel Capture designs carbon‑capture materials that operate at the high temperatures found inside boilers, kilns, and furnaces, enabling highly efficient carbon capture.

nOhm Devices

nOhm Devices develops highly efficient cryogenic electronics for quantum computers and sensors.

Quantum Formatics

Quantum Formatics speeds discovery of the world’s next superconductors using proprietary AI.

Qunett

Qunett builds the foundational hardware stack for deployable quantum networks to power the next era of global connectivity.

Rheyo

Rheyo creates new ways to make dental care more effective, efficient, and easy through advanced materials and technology.

Vertical Semiconductor

Vertical Semiconductor commercializes high‑voltage, high‑density, high‑efficiency vertical GaN (gallium nitride) to power the next era of compute.

VioNano Innovations

VioNano Innovations develops specialty material solutions that reduce variability and improve precision in semiconductor manufacturing, enabling smaller, faster, and more cost‑effective chips.

START.nano now comprises over 32 companies and 11 graduates—ventures that have moved beyond prototyping, with some entering commercialization.
See the full list of START.nano ventures.