Los Alamos National Laboratory announces 2025 fellowships for 'deep tech' entrepreneurs

The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (LEEP) has announced the fellows in its 2025 cohort. Now in its fourth year, the Los Alamos National Laboratory program provides a two-year fellowship for entrepreneurs focusing on deep tech for national security.

“We are seeing a strong growth of interest in our program, indicating the need for accelerated innovation in our target areas: advanced computing and artificial intelligence, advanced materials, space systems, energy security and biotechnology,” said Duncan McBranch, senior director of the Partnerships and Pipeline Office at the Laboratory.

“Deep tech” refers to technological solutions to society’s biggest challenges, including new energy sources, space systems, next-generation materials and computing. Deep tech is often pioneered by startup companies that have the freedom to be innovative but not have the resources to take their technologies to the next level. Partnering with Los Alamos can help them move faster. 

Innovators from across the nation applied for the program last spring. The selection process consisted of rigorous evaluations from experts, investors and Lab scientists.

The 2025 LEEP Fellows Cohort includes:

• Luis Chavez of Axolo, an Albuquerque company developing a system for capturing waste methane from landfills and converting into methanol, which is a clean-burning fuel.
• Kyle Guin of VastVision, an Albuquerque company developing an advanced inventory tracking system that can not only chronicle where products are stored, but incorporates sensors that survey the products’ shelf lives, emissions and battery life, etc., in real time.

“When you are accepted for New Mexico LEEP, just knowing the kind of expertise that is available at Los Alamos, that gives you a lot of validation from the beginning that your concept is viable,” says Chavez, who will collaborate with Lab experts for their thermochemical and electrochemical expertise as well as knowledge of catalysts and safe testing equipment.

VastVision seeks to set a new standard for efficient logistics management by combining advanced inventory software with sensors that monitor an object’s location, emissions and other viability factors, making its solution valuable for defense and national security operations with complex tracking, monitoring, and compliance requirements.

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“To prototype and test the system on our own would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, Guin says. “We’ll be collaborating with the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies to take VastVision to the next level.”

Entrepreneurs in the second year of their two-year fellowship are:

• Devin Fell of Sentiré Medical, developers of Perf-Alert, a monitoring system making laparoscopic surgery safer by detecting life-threatening bowel perforations.
• Ilayda Samilgil of LLume, creators of Light Lace, a stretchy fabric equipped with fiber-optic sensors that measure the vital signs and physical performance of soldiers and athletes.
• Benjamin Schafer of Rarefied, inventors of lightweight platforms that can levitate and carry payloads in the upper atmosphere without any power supply or moving parts.

Incoming fellows will interact with an experienced network of mentors and business resources, including Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, and participate in a curriculum tailored to support high-tech business growth. Fellows are also paired with Laboratory scientists in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to accelerate demonstration of a viable product.

Applications for the 2026 New Mexico LEEP are open now; deadline is May 8, 2025. For more information, visit nmleep.com.