{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-12/the-engine-ignition-pass-shell","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-12/the-engine-ignition-pass-shell.md","title":"The Engine Opens Second Ignition Pass With Shell Backing","headline":"The Engine Opens Second Ignition Pass to Five Startups With Shell as Enterprise Partner","description":"The Engine is accepting applications until December 21, 2026, for its second Ignition Pass, which funds up to five Tough Tech startups.","section":"Partnerships","published_at":"2026-11-12T13:29:22+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-12T13:29:22+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["The Engine will fund up to five early-stage Tough Tech startups in its second Ignition Pass, with applications closing December 21, 2026.","Shell returns as enterprise partner, giving recipients access to more than 200,000 square feet of lab and fabrication space and Shell technical experts.","Teragen Energy, the inaugural recipient, moved into Residency, completed an initial technology demonstration and closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round."],"companies":[{"name":"The Engine","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000epn/the-engine","website":"http://www.engine.xyz"},{"name":"Shell","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00002g4/shell","website":"https://www.shell.com"},{"name":"Shell Ventures","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0005eag/shell-ventures","website":"https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/innovating-together/shell-ventures"}],"source":{"publisher":"EIN Presswire","title":"The Engine Opens Second Ignition Pass Call for Applications, with Shell Returning as Enterprise Partner","url":"https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/956117863/the-engine-opens-second-ignition-pass-call-for-applications-with-shell-returning-as-enterprise-partner"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Partnerships","The Engine","Shell","Shell Ventures"],"body_markdown":"[The Engine](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000epn/the-engine) opened applications on November 12, 2026, for its second Ignition Pass, which will fund up to five early-stage Tough Tech startups with up to one year of Residency and [Shell](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00002g4/shell) returning as enterprise partner. [EIN Presswire](https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/956117863/the-engine-opens-second-ignition-pass-call-for-applications-with-shell-returning-as-enterprise-partner) published the call, with applications closing December 21, 2026.\n\n## What the Second Ignition Pass Offers Startups\n\nThe Ignition Pass is open to startups developing physical technologies in seven areas: carbon management and utilization; critical minerals, water and resource recovery; energy, fuels and industrial systems; energy storage, grid and digital infrastructure; industrial intelligence, robotics and autonomous systems; solid carbon materials; and subsurface, geothermal and energy production systems. Recipients get access to more than 200,000 square feet of BSL-2 wet labs, engineering and fabrication space with more than 1,880 pieces of specialized equipment, plus The Engine's programming and mentor network. Each startup will also work with Shell experts on a technical development plan aimed at retiring technical and market risk.\n\n\"The problems Tough Tech teams are solving, from securing critical minerals to building a more resilient grid, can't wait,\" said Rhett Smith, Interim CEO of The Engine. \"The Ignition Pass gives them the specialized infrastructure, patient support, and mission-aligned enterprise expertise they need at the earliest stages so they can reach the market faster.\"\n\nShell's role extends beyond the pass. [Shell Ventures](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0005eag/shell-ventures) co-led a $30 million Series A in 2024 for Mantel, a resident company developing high-temperature carbon capture, which has since raised $50 million in total and begun deploying its technology at an industrial facility in Québec. Shell leaders will help inform the selection of Ignition Pass recipients.\n\n\"The earliest stage is where expert input can shape a technology the most, and working with Teragen Energy has shown how that benefits both sides,\" said Akilah LeBlanc, GM Open Innovation at Shell.\n\n## The Engine's Funding and Lab Footprint\n\nThe Engine's recent funding includes a $1.69 million award from the Mass Clean Energy Center in May 2026, under Mass Leads Act grants, to upgrade prototyping equipment for climate-resilient technologies and address a regional battery testing gap, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The same records show a Rockefeller Foundation partnership announced in April 2026, committing $100 million over three years, and a three-year, $9.5 million NSF contract awarded in September 2023 to develop and operate the NSF Engines Builder Platform. The Engine's current and former Residents have raised $5.5 billion in total, and the organization supports more than 800 Tough Tech teams across 227,000 square feet of lab and engineering space.\n\n## Teragen Energy's First Pass Residency\n\nTeragen Energy, a Berkeley Lab and ARPA-E spinout developing fuel cell systems for data centers, industrial facilities and utilities, was the inaugural Ignition Pass recipient. Since moving into Residency, the team completed its initial technology demonstration, received a number of customer letters of intent and closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round.\n\n\"Working with Shell's technical and commercial experts allowed us to think through our technology roadmap and plan how to commercialize as the company moved into its next phase,\" said Ruofan Wang, PhD, CEO and Founder of Teragen Energy. \"Shell was interested in our technology and wanted to build a technical foundation with us, and that gave early-stage investors a lot of conviction.\"\n\n## The Engine's Decade of Tough Tech\n\nThe Engine announced investments in its first group of seven startups focused on transformative tough-tech innovations in August 2026, MIT reported. In July 2026, American City Business Journals reported that Emily Knight joined The Engine in 2017 and became CEO in 2023 following a split from its venture capital arm, as the organization marked its 10th anniversary.\n\nApplications for the second Ignition Pass close December 21, 2026.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}