Global venture platform Newlab announced its expansion into Louisiana and the establishment of its newest innovation hub, Newlab New Orleans.
The platform aims to advance the development, demonstration, and scaling of technologies critical to the reindustrialization and diversification of Louisiana’s energy sector.
Newlab New Orleans is catalyzed by a public-private partnership that includes Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the City of New Orleans, Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL, an NSF Engine), Louisiana State University, Greater New Orleans, Inc. and Shell.
“We’re excited to welcome Newlab to Louisiana as the state expands what it means to be an energy leader. By fostering collaboration between startups, industry experts, and policymakers, Louisiana is setting a benchmark for how reindustrialization can drive sustainable economic growth, energy innovation and technology leadership on a global scale,” said Josh Fleig, Chief Innovation Officer at Louisiana Economic Development.
The platform will attract leading startups and accelerate technology commercialization across three initial focus areas:
- Industrial power: Advancing low-cost hydrogen production, low-carbon energy generation, and thermal electrification, while enhancing grid resiliency through modernization, energy efficiency and integration of alternative fuels
- Carbon management & utilization: Enhancing carbon removal, point-source carbon capture, storage, and utilization such as converting captured carbon into high-value products including chemicals, sustainable aviation fuels and other low-carbon fuels, and clean construction materials
- Shipping and maritime: Accelerating solutions in critical port infrastructure and operations, alternative maritime fuels, energy efficiency, and other emissions-reduction technologies
Newlab New Orleans will be anchored in a purpose-built, newly constructed hub at the Naval Support Activity (NSA) site located at the intersection of the Intercoastal Industrial Canal and the Mississippi River. The NSA complex formerly operated as a 1.5 million square foot logistics center for the U.S. Navy, with the last military personnel departing the base in 2011. As part of the master plan by local developers, EMDRC Partners, and the City of New Orleans to reimagine the NSA campus, Newlab New Orleans will help to reactivate the historic site by creating a center of gravity for critical technology startups to drive measurable economic impact in the state.
The hub will feature industrial scale-up spaces, outfitted with specialized equipment and capabilities, allowing startups to fabricate, assemble, and pre-commission demonstration-scale process units for in-field deployments. In addition to the new facility, Newlab is collaborating with key government, industry and academic partners to align a statewide network of demonstration sites and regulatory sandboxes to enable testing of startup technologies across Newlab’s focus areas.
“We’re bringing Newlab to strategic regions like Louisiana that have a competitive advantage for speeding up commercialization of critical technologies. Louisiana’s legacy in commercial-scale energy projects, existing industrial infrastructure, and technical workforce create the perfect foundation to build a startup ecosystem that will future-proof the state’s economy,” said David Belt, Co-founder and CEO of Newlab.
“Newlab’s expansion into New Orleans and Louisiana signifies to the rest of the nation that with partners like LSU, LED, GNO, Inc., and the City of New Orleans, energy innovation is happening here faster than anywhere else. Newlab’s proven approach to developing deep technology complements our research agenda and industry partnerships. LSU’s Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) award, the largest in National Science Foundation history, is a key reason the Newlab project moved so quickly, and we’re excited to keep that pace for energy founders in Louisiana,” said Dr. Robert Twilley, Vice President of Research and Economic Development, Louisiana State University.
“The launch of Newlab New Orleans represents a major step forward in realizing the City’s vision for a vibrant, inclusive, and innovation-driven local economy. By attracting cutting-edge startups and aligning them with our unique industrial and logistical assets, this initiative will help diversify New Orleans’ role in the global energy sector while creating new opportunities for our people and businesses to lead in the transition to a more sustainable future,” said Mayor Latoya Cantrell, City of New Orleans.
Newlab’s work in Louisiana began last year through two U.S. Department of Energy-backed programs focused on accelerating the commercialization of clean hydrogen and carbon management technologies. Through these programs, Newlab structured commercialization projects in Louisiana with nine startups and industry partners including Shell, Battelle, and Carbonvert. Among the participants being supported by Newlab, Arculus Solutions is partnering with N2 Solutions, a Louisiana-based pipeline service provider to retrofit natural gas transmission pipelines for safe and cost-effective transport of CO2 and hydrogen. Another startup, Mantel Capture, is collaborating with Newlab and regional industry partners to deploy their point-source carbon capture technology in Louisiana.
“Where the rubber meets the road is at the state level. Our work with Newlab is our anchor in Louisiana, a state that has long been a center for energy in the U.S. and, as a result, a major hub for CO2 emissions. That makes it a strategic location for carbon capture projects. Newlab has been instrumental in getting these projects off the ground by connecting us with key stakeholders, including state and local governments and communities. It’s crucial we put their needs first and address them throughout the entire technology development and deployment process, and Newlab has been a key part of making that happen,” said Cameron Halliday, Co-founder & CEO at Mantel.
This announcement follows Newlab’s recent expansion into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through the establishment of Newlab Riyadh, a public-private platform to accelerate the commercialization of critical technologies across mining, logistics, and energy. Newlab’s network of innovation hubs are located in global regions committed to driving economic transformation through reindustrialization, startup commercialization and forward-thinking policy also includeNewlab Brooklyn, Newlab Detroit, and Newlab Montevideo.
