Rise Energy has been selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative, securing $340,000 in non-dilutive funding to accelerate the commercialization of its autothermal pyrolysis technology developed at Iowa State University. Autothermal pyrolysis is a novel process that converts underutilized or waste materials into refiner-ready feedstocks, enabling the production of low-carbon fuels and products from resources that are currently undervalued or discarded. DARPA’s Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative is designed to strengthen U.S. energy and national security by enabling domestic pathways to upgrade waste and underutilized feedstocks into fuels and critical energy products. The funding will help bring the autothermal pyrolysis innovation to market, enabling Rise Energy to advance durable carbon removal and low-carbon energy solutions. “Being selected for DARPA’s Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative is a powerful validation of both the technology and our team’s vision,” said Ryan Smith, CEO of Rise Energy, in a prepared statement. “These technologies have been proven through more than a decade of research at Iowa State. This award allows us to take the critical next step —bringing a commercially viable, scalable solution into the marketplace that turns undervalued and waste materials into domestically produced renewable energy and other high-value products.”
