The deadline to apply for The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (NM LEEP) is fast approaching. Applications are being accepted until May 8, 2025, from technology entrepreneurs ready to obtain two years of individualized assistance to commercialize their technology. The program pairs deep-tech entrepreneurs with the unique talent and technology of Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories, matching LEEP fellows with seed capital and a large network of mentors, customers, and investors. The current application period is for the 2026 cohort.

The program is for entrepreneurs who intend to transition their technology into a product and build a company. It is not for serial entrepreneurs or funding research and development. Selection criteria include:

• Your innovation fits into one or more of five technology areas: advanced materials, AI & advanced computing, biotechnology, space systems, or energy transition.
• You have conducted early customer discovery and have found there is interest in your solution.
• You meet most of these benchmarks: You have a prototype; less than four full-time employees; have received less than $1.5M in funding.
• You need the technical expertise of a national laboratory for testing, validating, de-risking, modeling, etc.
• You need business mentorship and training.
• You can commit to New Mexico LEEP for two years.
• You will relocate to New Mexico for the two-year program duration or longer.
• Recommended that your technology development matches New Mexico’s national laboratory expertise. 

New Mexico LEEP accepts applications each spring for cohorts that run from the following January to December of the next year. Current successful applicants will make up the fifth cohort since the program started working with entrepreneurs in 2021. Program managers report that more than 70 entrepreneurs applied to join the last cohort, with only three entrepreneurs selected in 2024 for the 2025-2026 program.

More than capital

One graduate is Kristina Trujillo, CEO of T-Neuro Pharma, a company developing a blood test to determine the presence of Alzheimer’s disease and a treatment to prevent its development and stop its progress. Trujillo said working with New Mexico LEEP exceeded her expectations.

“I was assuming they would help with the technical aspects and help me optimize my assay, make it better for the diagnostic,” she said. “They are doing that 100 percent, but what I didn’t realize was all of the mentorship and all of the extras that come with it.” T-Neuro Pharma has received funding from New Mexico-based investors.

In addition to providing technical support and access to expertise and facilities at Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories along with a network of mentors, customers, and investors, the New Mexico LEEP program offers a generous stipend, health insurance, and travel reimbursement so participants can build their startup in New Mexico.

Cliff Chan, co-founder and CEO of OAM Photonics, is another graduate. OAM Photonics, which is developing a compact solid-state coherent optical sensor for long-distance 3D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) with numerous applications, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $1 million.

Applications will be accepted until May 8, 2025. With so much at stake and such high benefits, entrepreneurs should start thinking about submitting an application in 2026.

Learn more about New Mexico LEEP.