The Shell GameChanger™ Accelerator Powered by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (GCxN) is a multimillion-dollar, multiyear program developed in collaboration between Shell and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR).
GCxN discovers and advances promising energy technologies, connecting startups with the resources, expertise, and facilities at NLR and Shell to reduce technology development risk and accelerate tech to market.
Selected participants receive up to $250,000 in nondilutive funding in the form of hands-on technical assistance from one of the United States’ premier research laboratories.
Benefits of Participation
NLR’s independent technology de-risking and Shell’s global energy expertise build credibility with partners and investors.
Technical assistance may include:
- Prototype testing and performance validation
- Design, development, and characterization
- Modeling and simulation
- Techno-economic and life cycle analysis
- Hardware, software, and systems integration.
Cohort Themes
GCxN identifies emerging technologies in focus areas spanning the full energy generation, transmission, and distribution continuum that change with each cohort.
Past cohort themes include:
- Biological Energy and Chemical Products
- Electrochemical Pathways to Fuels
- Energy Management
- Future Feedstocks
- Grid Integration.
Startups
Startups must be referred by one of NLR’s Channel Partners—a nationwide network of incubators, accelerators, and universities. Applicants are evaluated by NLR researchers and Shell experts on both their technical merit and their business proposition.
Ideal candidates are early-stage startups (technology readiness levels 2–5) with:
- A novel technology concept
- A provable prototype or process
- Demonstrable potential value and market relevance.
Testimonials
“Having the credibility from a partnership with an entity like NLR is invaluable. We’ve proven the viability and value of our product. We are now focused on accelerating adoption.“
“If we were to do all these things in isolation, it would require working with three to four different groups and then piecing that together. NLR also adds a source of validation for our investors and our strategic partners.“
