Transition strengthens coordination of DOE’s commercialization programs and support for early-stage energy startups
Office of Technology Commercialization
May 13, 2026
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WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) today announced it will take over stewardship of the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP), one of the Department’s flagship startup programs. Today’s announcement came during the program’s annual LEEP Demo Day, which features presentations from LEEP fellows, expert panels, and interactive discussions with startups.
LEEP recruits top entrepreneurial talent through a competitive national process and embeds them at DOE National Laboratories for two-year fellowships. During this time, fellows receive entrepreneurial training, mentorship, technical support, and access to world-class facilities to develop and launch energy and manufacturing startups. The program also connects participants to local, regional, and national innovation ecosystems, helping early-stage companies overcome barriers to commercialization. DOE's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) launched LEEP in 2015. Under AMMTO's leadership for the past decade, 202 LEEP startups have attracted more than $6 billion in follow-on funding and created over 3,900 jobs.
“LEEP has a strong track record of helping entrepreneurs turn promising technologies into real companies with real-world impact,” said DOE Chief Commercialization Officer and OTC Director Anthony Pugliese. “We’re excited to welcome the program into OTC’s portfolio and build on that success by connecting these innovators more directly to the Department’s broader commercialization resources and partnerships.”
Through LEEP, offices across DOE support technologies that span the entire energy ecosystem. By bringing LEEP under OTC, DOE is strengthening connections across its commercialization programs, from early-stage innovation through startup formation and growth, while improving coordination and broadening support for entrepreneurs working with the National Labs. OTC extends a warm thank you to DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office for its stewardship of LEEP to date and continued collaboration into the future.
For more information on LEEP, visit OTC’s LEEP web page.