gener8tor and U.S. Venture Announce 2025 Cohort of U.S. Venture Sustainability Accelerator, Open Downtown Appleton Office
Partners invest $100,000 in each of five startups selected
APPLETON, Wis. – Global venture capital firm gener8tor, in partnership with energy, transportation, and sustainability solutions company U.S. Venture, has announced the 2025 cohort of startups selected for investment through the U.S. Venture Sustainability Accelerator. This announcement also marks the official opening of gener8tor’s new downtown Appleton office, located in the newly redeveloped Fox Commons.
This is the third year of the U.S. Venture Sustainability Accelerator. Each year, the program invests $100,000 into each of five startups solving pressing challenges in sustainability, mobility, and the energy transition. These companies work directly with gener8tor and gain access to mentorship and partnership opportunities with U.S. Venture.
This year’s cohort includes:
Arduro (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.): Recycling end-of-life tires into new rubber using novel, low-cost, low-impact technology.
ElectricFish (San Carlos, Calif.): High-speed, battery-integrated EV chargers delivering backup power and energy market optimization.
Emobi (San Francisco, Calif.): Accelerating EV adoption with the digital infrastructure that enables secure and fully-automated EV charging across networks and vehicles.
E.V.E. (Dublin, Ireland): SaaS platform helping industrial fleet operators plan and manage EV deployment.
Flux XII (Madison, Wis.): Grid-adaptive energy storage systems using innovative organic materials for next-gen batteries.
“This year’s cohort is made up of companies doing truly exciting things in sustainability—from grid innovation to fleet electrification and tire recycling,” said Andrew Schmitz, Managing Director of the U.S. Venture Sustainability Accelerator. “Founders are coming to Appleton from across North America and Europe to be a part of this program. Our new Fox Commons office gives us a fantastic home base as we continue to build momentum here and serve as a hub for local entrepreneurs and global innovators alike.”
These five companies will work out of gener8tor’s newly opened office at Fox Commons, a major redevelopment project in downtown Appleton. The space will host not only accelerator founders but also serve as a gathering space for local entrepreneurs, community events, and business programming.
“The 2025 cohort comprises exciting startups that address pressing challenges in sustainability and mobility,” said Chuck Dauk, Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer at U.S. Venture. “We are happy to continue our partnership with gener8tor on this important initiative, which not only accelerates the growth of these innovative companies but also strengthens the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Appleton by introducing new resources and opportunities for local founders.”
One of those founders is traveling over 3,000 miles to participate.
“As a company expanding from Europe, this program gives us a valuable opportunity to get our footing in the U.S. market,” said Sarah-Marie Rust, Founder of E.V.E. “Having access to a strategic partner like U.S. Venture is incredibly meaningful, and I’m looking forward to learning from them throughout this really special opportunity.”
To learn more about the U.S. Venture Sustainability Accelerator and the new gener8tor Appleton office, visit www.gener8tor.com/invesment-accelerators/us-venture-accelerator.
U.S. Venture Sustainability Accelerator Spring 2025 Cohort
Arduro’s novel chemistry and process vastly improves the system for recycling end of life tires into new rubber products. Its patented technology is highly competitive to other methods of recycling tires due to its low cost and minimal environmental impact.
Ian Lowe, CEO | ian.lowe@arduro.com
ElectricFish develops battery-integrated, extremely fast EV chargers that not only deliver 200 miles of range in 10 minutes, but also provide critical backup energy during blackouts. Its chargers leverage AI and machine learning to optimize stored energy and dynamically bid into energy markets, offering businesses a highly efficient, cost-effective operating experience. With systems that are 40% faster than Tesla Superchargers, install 50 times quicker, and deliver a 3x faster return on investment, ElectricFish is focused on scaling through key B2B clients, and its customers include the likes of Hyundai and the Department of Defense.
Anurag Kamal, CEO & Co-Founder | anurag@electricfish.co
Emobi ‘s unified infrastructure powers apps, fleets and automakers with seamless and secure EV charging across networks, while maximizing charger utilization. Emobi’s secure and fully automated charging technology, JustPlug, works instantly with no special hardware, software or setup. Emobi holds two provisional patents, is integrated with 122,000 EV chargers across the U.S. and Canada, and serves more than 40 enterprise customers, and is trusted by the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation.
Lin Sun Fa, CEO & Founder | lsunfa@emobi.ai
EVE simplifies electrification for industrial fleets, equipping operations, finance, and fleet teams with the intelligence to plan, simulate, deploy, and operate electric vehicles with confidence and precision. EVE’s end-to-end SaaS platform reduces complexity and total cost of ownership across the fleet lifecycle, replacing guesswork with data-driven decisions that boost return on investment, profitability, and efficiency from day one. Already trusted by leading European logistics players including EnerjiSA, Brisa, and Volvo Group, EVE is now bringing its proven solution to the US - starting with midwestern fleets looking to modernize operations and gain a competitive edge through electrification.
Sarah-Marie Rust, CEO & Founder | sarah@eve-mobility.io
Flux XII supports renewable project developers and operators with a universal grid adapter – an adaptable Energy Storage System that enhances asset resiliency and economics. Flux XII upgrades sustainable organic materials for flow battery ESS, which are one-tenth the cost of state-of-the-art materials and improve overall performance.
Patrick Sullivan, CEO & Co-Founder | patrick.sullivan@flux12.co
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About gener8tor
gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs and conferences in more than 45 communities across 25 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. The International Trade Council recognized gener8tor as the Global Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2022.
About U.S. Venture
For over 70 years, U.S. Venture, Inc. has been recognized as an innovative leader in the distribution of renewable and traditional energy products, lubricants, tires, parts, and using data-driven insights to manage energy and information in the global movement of goods. U.S. Venture delivers creative, sustainable solutions that give their customers a competitive edge, and enable the company to support the communities in which they live, work, and play. Through the values lived by their family of brands, U.S. EnergyTM, U.S. AutoForce, Breakthrough®, U.S. Lubricants, and IGEN®, U.S. Venture seeks new ways to drive business success while being steadfast in its commitment to making the world a better place.
