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About ARPA-E
ARPA-E is a venture capital firm founded in 2007. It is primarily based out of Washington, DC, United States. As of Aug 2026, ARPA-E is an active investor, having invested in 62 companies, with 2 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Grant (prize money) round in United States based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from High Tech to Energy Tech and Environment Tech. Most recently it participated in the $***** Grant (prize money) round of CURIO Overall, ARPA-E portfolio has seen 2 unicorns, 6 IPOs and 7 acquisitions including key companies like Form Energy, Sila Nanotechnologies and Arcadia Biosciences. A lot of funds co-invest with ARPA-E, with names like Energy Impact Partners sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. ARPA-E has team of 22 people including 2 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Count
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Grant (prize money), Seed & 1 more
Portfolio IPOs
Portfolio Acquisitions
Portfolio Unicorns
Portfolio Soonicorns
Deals in last 12 months
ARPA-E's List of Top Investments
ARPA-E has a portfolio of 62 companies, including 2 unicorns. Their most notable investments include Form Energy and Antora.Their portfolio spans across United States, France and Israel. They have invested in High Tech, Energy Tech, Environment Tech and 18 other sectors, across stages such as Grant (prize money), Seed and 1 more. Here is the list of top investments by ARPA-E:_1531912477249.png?format=webp&height=120&width=120){kind=logo}
1. Form Energy
Clean energy technology platform developing long-duration iron-air battery systems. It develops advanced battery solutions capable of storing electricity for multiple days, helping balance energy supply and demand during periods of high stress or renewable energy intermittency. It is designed to support the transition to a cleaner and more resilient electric grid by enabling greater integration of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Its technology centers on cost-effective, scalable battery systems built for long-duration storage applications, addressing critical gaps in traditional short-duration energy storage solutions.
Key facts about Form Energy
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: Somerville (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series G
- Total Funding till date: $1.97B
- Employee Count: 851 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: T. Rowe Price, GIC and 44 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series G, Aug 12, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
2. Antora
Manufacturer of thermal battery. It stores energy as heat in blocks of solid carbon to power global industry. Its thermophotovoltaic technology converts light from the hot carbon blocks into electricity with no moving parts.
Key facts about Antora
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: Sunnyvale (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $822M
- Employee Count: 268 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Salesforce Ventures, Temasek and 29 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jul 20, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
3. GA
Key facts about GA
Provider of nanotech-based lithium-ion batteries for diversified applications. It provides uers with a company that has developed a nanomaterial that works as a drop-in replacement for the existing battery manufacturing process. It claims to enable higher energy density in current batteries for multiple areas including wearables, portable electronics, mass adoption of electric vehicles, and the practical use of renewable energy.
Key facts about Sila Nanotechnologies
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: Alameda (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series G
- Total Funding till date: $1.61B
- Employee Count: 421 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Investments and 32 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series G, Jul 21, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Key facts about University of Colorado Boulder
- Founded Year: 1876
- Location: United States
- Stage: Funding Raised
- Investors: ARPA-E, USGS and 10 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Dec 23, 2025, $*****
ARPA-E's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
ARPA-E has invested in 62 companies over the last 16 years, with an average of 3 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 2 investments, while as of Aug 2026, it has made 2 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in CURIO and most recent follow-on round was in Versogen.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2024 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2023 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2022 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
2021 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
2020 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2019 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
2018 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
2017 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
ARPA-E's Investments by Stage
ARPA-E has made 58 investments in Grant (prize money) stage with an average round size of $3.59M, 1 investment in Seed stage and 1 investment in Series A stage with an average round size of $3M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Grant (prize money) | 58 |
Seed | 1 |
Series A | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
ARPA-E's Investments by Sector
ARPA-E has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the High Tech, Energy Tech, Sustainability Tech, Environment Tech and Energy. Notably, it has invested in 45 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 42 Tech companies, 21 Tech hardware companies and at least 10 companies focusing on Software.Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
High Tech | 27 |
Energy Tech | 26 |
Sustainability Tech | 26 |
Environment Tech | 22 |
Energy | 11 |
Others | 52 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
ARPA-E's Investments by Geography
ARPA-E has made most investments in United States (58), followed by France where it has made 1 investment.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
United States | 58 |
France | 1 |
Israel | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
ARPA-E's recent investments
ARPA-E has made 2 investments in 2026 so far - CURIO and Thea Energy.Here are the most recent investments by ARPA-E:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aug 14, 2026 | United States | Grant (prize money) | 1665 | - | |
Jul 27, 2026 | United States | Grant (prize money) | 7832 | - | |
Jan 21, 2025 | United States | Grant (prize money) | 3211 | - | |
Jan 16, 2025 | United States | Grant (prize money) | 6730 | - | |
Nov 04, 2024 | United States | Grant (prize money) | 2653 | - |
Unicorns in ARPA-E's Portfolio
ARPA-E has 2 unicorns in its portfolio - Form Energy and Sila Nanotechnologies. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Form Energy. It became a unicorn in 2022, 4 years after ARPA-E first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in ARPA-E's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
69 | Clean energy technology platform developing long-duration iron-air battery systems | 2017 | Somerville | Series G | zfjgxqd | ||
64 | Provider of nanotech-based lithium-ion batteries for diversified applications | 2011 | Alameda | Series G | nmdfvel |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in ARPA-E's Portfolio
6 of ARPA-E's portfolio companies have become public. X Energy got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), in Apr 2026 at marketcap of $6.07B and Solid Power got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) at marketcap of undefined.Here are ARPA-E's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Apr 24, 2026 | May 18, 2020 | Grant (prize money) | 4691 | |
Dec 09, 2021 | Aug 21, 2013 | Grant (prize money) | 7413 | |
Oct 11, 2021 | 2012 | Grant (prize money) | 6974 | |
May 15, 2015 | Oct 19, 2011 | Grant (prize money) | 5438 | |
Jun 13, 2014 | May 31, 2016 | Grant (prize money) | 7028 |
Acquired companies in ARPA-E's Portfolio
7 companies from ARPA-E's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Chilldyne in Nov 2025 by Daikin Applied for $*****.Here are ARPA-E's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 04, 2025 | May 18, 2022 | Grant (prize money) | 6699 | |
Mar 13, 2025 | Oct 04, 2021 | Grant (prize money) | 2565 | |
Oct 11, 2022 | Jun 07, 2018 | Grant (prize money) | 8370 | |
Mar 23, 2020 | Oct 23, 2013 | Grant (prize money) | 1143 | |
Feb 05, 2018 | Oct 08, 2017 | Grant (prize money) | 6063 |
Team profile of ARPA-E
ARPA-E has a team of 22 members including 2 Partners and 13 Principals located in United States. ARPA-E's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of top team members in ARPA-E:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | Washington | - | - | |
Principal | - | - | - | |
Principal | Washington, DC | - | - | |
Principal | - | - | - | |
Principal | - | - | - | |
Principal | - | - | - | |
Principal | - | - | - | |
Principal | Washington, DC | - | - | |
Principal | - | - | - | |
Principal | - | - | - |
Co-investors of ARPA-E
Over the past 16 years, 353 investors have co-invested in ARPA-E's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before ARPA-E: OSTI, National Science Foundation and 133 others have invested in rounds before ARPA-E. There are 22 companies where OSTI has invested before ARPA-E and 19 companies where National Science Foundation has invested before ARPA-E.
- Top Co-investors of ARPA-E: 12 investors entered a company along with ARPA-E. These include investors like Energy Impact Partners (1 company).
- Invested after ARPA-E: A total of 206 investors have invested in ARPA-E's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include OSTI (17 companies), DOE (6 companies) and Volta (3 companies).
Recent News related to ARPA-E
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Project Omega and Idaho National Lab Announce ARPA-E Award to Advance Used Nuclear Fuel RecyclingBusiness Wire•Apr 02, 2026•Project Omega, ARPA-E
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E-power and Honda Partner on Hybrid Hydrogen GeneratorRenewable Energy Magazine•Apr 02, 2025•ARPA-E, Honda
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Toyota To Receive Us$4.5m In Federal Funding For Technology To Support A Circular Domestic Supply Chain For Ev BatteriesAutomotive World•Dec 18, 2024•Toyota, DOE, Toyota, ARPA-E
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Ion Storage Systems Receives $10M Debt Financing from Leonid Capital PartnersFinSMEs•Nov 14, 2024•Ion Storage Systems, LEONID, , TEDCO and 1 other
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Iontra Selected for ARPA-E CIRCULAR Grant to Revolutionize EV Battery LifePR Newswire•Nov 05, 2024•Iontra, DOE, ARPA-E
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Sylvatex Secures $1.4M ARPA-E Funding to Innovate Domestically Produced, Cost-Advantaged LFPMiningstockeducation•Oct 09, 2024•Sylvatex, ARPA-E
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Advanced Cooling Technologies Inc. Selected To Receive $1m In Federal Funding To Develop More Efficient Cooling For Data CentersMiningstockeducation•Sep 30, 2024•ACT, ARPA-E
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Queens Carbon secures funding for ‘zero CO₂’ cement technologyGlobalcement•Jun 28, 2024•Queens Carbon, ARPA-E
