Two members of Cornell’s business incubators have been accepted to Cohort 2025 of the Activate Fellowship, a two-year program that supports scientists and engineers in their entrepreneurial ventures. 

Jonathon McCandless, Ph.D. ’23, co-founder and CEO of Gallox Semiconductors, has joined Activate’ s Boston hub community, and Chris Thomas, founder and CEO of RETRN Bio, has joined Activate New York. While Gallox is a member of Cornell’s Praxis Center for Venture Development, RETRN Bio incubates at the university’s Center for Life Science Ventures (CLSV). 

The Activate Fellowship and Cornell’s incubators share a mission to transform STEM researchers into successful startup founders, expanding the real-world impact of technology innovation developed in academic labs.  

As they build their companies, Activate Fellows receive a $100,000 yearly living stipend, plus travel allowance and health insurance, in addition to $100,000 in funding for research and development. They also benefit from one-on-one mentorship and opportunities to network with other Fellows, program alumni, advisors, industry experts and potential investors. 

The Praxis Center and CLSV complement this support by providing members with office space, access to research facilities and equipment, and a connection to Cornell’s research and innovation resources. 

McCandless founded Gallox and joined Praxis after developing gallium oxide (GA2O3) semiconductors through his Ph.D. research in the Jena-Xing Laboratory. The GA2O3 devices use less energy than traditional semiconductors, making them a more efficient, more powerful alternative. This innovation has potential applications in data centers, drones and aircraft, space technology, and electronic vehicle charging. 

Gallox is the first to commercialize gallium oxide devices, and McCandless said he is honored to have the support of Activate as he works to bring the technology to market. 

“Activate has an exceptional track record of helping hard-tech startups succeed — not just through funding, but through a supportive and deeply knowledgeable community,” he said. “Their support will help us scale our technology, grow our team and move closer to commercial deployment.” 

RETRN Bio, a startup upcycling agricultural waste into biodegradable materials for food packaging, started at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.  

The company came to Cornell via the Center for Materials Research, which helped them partner with Juan Hinestroza, the Rebecca Q. Morgan ’60 Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Design in the College of Human Ecology, and his students to refine their upcycling process. They joined CLSV in 2024 and will now further their path to commercialization through Activate. 

“The Activate program provides more than the typical support one would think of with a fellowship,” Thomas said. “It helps us to grow our company by bringing us into a supportive community of scientific innovators who aim to improve our world, one in which I have already made lasting friendships and growing partnerships.” 

Thomas said RETRN Bio aims to scale their products with the help of the program. 

“Through the next two years of the program, we will be working with the support of Activate to take our advanced, sustainable barrier coatings to commercial pilots with some of the largest packaging manufacturers in the world,” he said. 

Since 2015, Activate has supported 296 fellows representing 236 companies. Alumni startups have collectively raised more than $4 billion in follow-on funding and created nearly 3,000 new jobs in the U.S. In 2022, Cornell spinouts REEgen and Soctera became the first of the university’s incubator clients to join the Activate Fellowship. 

“Science entrepreneurship is the origin story of tomorrow’s industries,” said Cyrus Wadia, CEO of Activate. “The U.S. has long been a world center for science leadership and technological advancement. When it comes to solving the world’s biggest challenges, hard-tech innovation is how we unlock the best solutions. From infrastructure to energy to agriculture, these Activate Fellows are the bold thinkers who are building the next generation of science-focused companies to lead us into the future.”