Illinois Innovation Venture Fund (INVENT) is sponsored by Illinois State Treasurer's Office (administering SSBCI funds). The Illinois Innovation Venture Fund (INVENT) is a venture capital program that partners with co-investors to invest in Illinois-based startups.

Illinois State Resources | Dawnbreaker Known as “the Land of Lincoln,” Illinois is endowed with a rich abundance of both water and farmland. As a result, it is one of the top five states for agriculture, while also being home to the third largest city in the U.S. – Chicago.

The presence of the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , as well as prestigious institutions such as the University of Chicago and Northwestern University contribute significantly to the state’s economy. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) responsibility “ is to support and maintain a climate that enables a strong economy.

” Made in Illinois Grant Program The Made in Illinois Grant Program supports innovation and strategic advancements in manufacturing by providing between $5,000 and $50,000 in matching grant funding to small- and mid-sized Illinois manufacturers. The program also offers access to expertise and resources. To be eligible, companies must be an Illinois manufacturer in operation for at least 3 years with between 5-250 employees.

In addition, the company must have had sales revenues within the 12 months prior to applying for funding. Illinois Clean Energy Innovation Fund (ICEIF) The Illinois Clean Energy Innovation Fund (ICEIF) directly invests in high-potential, early-stage, Illinois-based cleantech companies, with the goal of supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation in the state’s cleantech sector.

ICIEF is administered by Evergreen Climate Innovations and was seeded by grant funds from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and overseen by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency . Structured as a revolving investment fund, ICIEF’s “evergreen” funding model is self-sustaining and provides capital to promising Illinois-based cleantech ventures. The ICEIF has invested a total of $3.

9 million in 13 Illinois-based companies. Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) offers matching grants up to $50,000 to companies that have received Phase I awards through the SBIR and STTR grant programs. The DCEO also maintains a list of active and upcoming grant opportunities here .

Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund (ILGIF) The Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund (ILGIF) is an evergreen, $1. 5 billion impact investment fund with the investment goal of attracting, assisting, and retaining quality technology-enabled Illinois businesses.

Illinois Innovation Venture Fund (INVENT) The Illinois Innovation Venture Fund (INVENT) is a $114 million direct equity capital program funded through the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI).

INVENT is administered by the DCEO and provides venture capital for both early and late-stage companies across a range of sectors, including agtech, energy, information technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, quantum information sciences and technology, microelectronics, transportation and logistics, and semiconductor technology advancement.

Fusion is a potential energy source and occurs when one or more lighter elements combine to form a heavier element, releasing energy in the process. [1] Devices designed to harness this energy are known as fusion reactors. [2] A future fusion plant could use the heat produced by the fusion reaction to produce steam to drive turbines or generators that produce electricity.

[3] For almost a century, scientists around the globe have been looking to recreate and harness the power of fusion energy. [4] There are two commonly pursued technologies to create and control plasma. Magnetic confinement uses strong magnets to contain plasma.

A widely used configuration known as a tokamak [5] uses powerful magnets to confine the plasma within a toroidal reaction vessel, with the magnetic fields keeping the plasma away from the walls of the vessel to prevent damage and unintended cooling of the plasma. [6] Examples of U.S. companies developing magnetic confinement systems are Commonwealth Fusion Systems , TAE Technologies , Tokamak Energy , Helion Energy , and Thea Energy .

Inertial confinement uses high-power lasers or electrical discharges to compress a small capsule of fusion fuel to extreme temperatures and pressures for a short time. This approach is used, for example, in the National Ignition Facility at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

[7] Examples of U.S. companies developing inertial confinement systems are Xcimer Energy , Focused Energy , ZAP Energy , and Shine Technologies . In addition to these methods, several companies such as General Fusion , are pursuing various other pathways to try to create and control fusion reactions, including a hybrid of both magnetic and inertial confinement approaches.

[8] Various fusion fuels are used to power these pursued pathways. According to the U.S. Department of Energy , once developed, first-generation fusion plants may likely use a combination of abundant deuterium and lithium as fuel. [9] Deuterium, lithium and tritium Deuterium-tritium is a highly studied fusion fuel and a likely basis for the first fusion power plants.

[10] Lithium is a critical resource for fusion because of its material properties. Lithium is used to breed tritium, the key fuel for fusion. [11] The rare lithium-6 form of the metal, which makes up only 7.

5 per cent of all naturally occurring lithium, is the most efficient for sustaining the fusion process. [12] Li-6 is banned in the U.S. because of the harmful mercury waste it generates. [13] So most fusion power concepts rely on “enriched” lithium, where the Li-6 content has been boosted.

[14] Several companies are investing in efforts aimed at commercializing fusion energy. [15] Many of these companies are startups that have raised over $100 million in the past few years. [16] The global fusion energy market size is projected to reach $611.

8 billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 5. 56% from 2025 to 2034. [17] Current State - Projections of the time to putting Fusion Energy on the Grid As of October 2025, fusion reactors remain pre-commercial, with no system yet producing net energy.

Fusion energy stakeholders provide varying timelines as to when fusion energy will become technically feasible as an energy source for the electrical grid and when it will become commercially viable. Projections range from 10 years to several decades in the future.

[18] Some companies are claiming that they will achieve commercial fusion energy in the next few years [19] while other stakeholders and experts said fusion energy will take more than 20 years. The Fusion Industry Association reported that many commercial companies predict fusion industry will be commercially viable in the 2030’s time frame.

[19] Source: The Global Fusion Industry in 2025 —Fusion Industry Association Other stakeholders and experts believe fusion energy might put electricity on the grid in 10 to 20 years, however, significant resources are required to do so. [20] The Figure below illustrates commercialization risks that fusion energy will face on the road to commercial deployment.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the aspirational timeline as shown is strongly dependent on the level of both public and private investments. [21] Commercialization risks for fusion Source. U.S. Department of Energy, Fusion Energy Strategy 2024 Download the Dawnbreaker® OTA Report Click below to download a copy of the Dawnbreaker® OTA Report.

DoD Transition Information Packet (TIP)® The Transition Information Packet (TIP) is a market research report specifically developed for small businesses working with the Department of Defense. Customized Market Research (CMR)® Filling in the gaps in your commercialization strategy…. The CMR provides our team with the greatest flexibility in addressing gaps in the information you need to refine your commercialization strategy.

Based strictly on secondary literature, the market researcher can look for information that will help you understand changes in government regulations, market dynamics, emerging solutions, sources of funding, points of contact and other challenges you pose. Based on the information gathered, a business strategist will add comments throughout regarding the implications of the information for your strategy.

Who will take the best care of your baby? You’ve done a great job with your R&D. You’ve been careful to protect your intellectual property – but those next steps to bring the product to market seem out of reach.

There’s too much competition, scale up would be too expensive – so you’ve decided to license-out your intellectual property. The challenge before you is to find the best licensee to bring your baby to market. Let us help you.

We will profile organizations that frequently cite your patents and dig deeper to determine their financial health, technology and market synergies, and experience with licensing-in. Commercial Potential Assessment (CPA) You’ve done a great job with your R&D. You’ve been careful to protect your intellectual property – but those next steps to bring the product to market seem out of reach.

There’s too much competition, scale up would be too expensive – so you’ve decided to license-out your intellectual property. The challenge before you is to find the best licensee to bring your baby to market. Let us help you.

We will profile organizations that frequently cite your patents and dig deeper to determine their financial health, technology and market synergies, and experience with licensing-in. Your customers know your competitors! Do you?

Maybe you believe that you don’t have any competition, but your customers know better! Their needs are being addressed now – perhaps not as well, but if there is a need, someone is providing a solution. Learn about the competition and be prepared to differentiate your solution from that of others.

Dawnbreaker’s competitor analysis contrasts your competition on specifications, performance and price. Armed with this information we can help you create a compelling value proposition. Request Competitor Analysis Developing Network Contacts (DevNC) When you need to reach out...

There are times when you need to reach out to others – whether you are looking for potential customers, potential partners, or potential investors. But who should you call…and how do you address your fear of contacting them. The DevNC is a unique market research tool designed to provide you with between 25 and 30 Points of Contact (PoC).

With each POC, information is included that provides insight about the person’s role. Depending on their position, other information commonly included relates to their background, articles that they have written, conference presentations and other pertinent information. This type of information enables you to customize your correspondence.

Contact information is also included – typically LinkedIn, email and phone number. We are in the process of updating the Energy Portal Please check back soon for access to our updated Energy Portal.