2024 Impact Report
Letter From Our CEO
Overnight successes are usually years in the making. To the individuals who put in the long hours to build the breakout startup, or design a new kind of airplane, or discover a different way to store energy - the journey can feel almost impossibly long.
At Launch Alaska, we have the pleasure of working with founders at a very special moment in their long and arduous startup journey. It’s the moment where years of
hard work and discovery and sacrifice all come together in a product that is ready to be deployed in the real world. It’s a moment when a long-held dream (which can at times feel like a fantasy) becomes real and tangible, and starts making an impact for good.
Seeing more of these moments happen is what gets our team out of bed in the morning. We’re proud of the numbers in our 2024 impact report, and we know that it’s the stories behind the numbers – where some of the world’s most innovative founders come together with Alaskans to build real things together – where the magic really happens. And it’s where so-called overnight successes are born.
Isaac Vanderburg
CEO, Launch Alaska
Meet Our Team
Follow the links to learn more about Launch Alaska’s staff members and board of directors.
Isaac Vanderburg, CEO
Frances Ball, Operations
Penny Gage, Accelerator & Policy
Ottar Mobley, Deployment
Matt Nejati, Deployment
Brij Hall Potnis, Deployment
Tim Leach, Deployment
Suzanna Caldwell, Accelerator
Eve Downing, Accelerator
Kirsten Swann, Marketing
Janelle Ocampo, Operations
Angela Rodell, Board Chair
Chad Estes, Board Treasurer
Michael Bourdukofsky, Board
Dane Boysen, Board
Gloria O'Neill, Board
Daniel Jensen, Board
Sam LaPierre, Board
Accelerator Highlights
Cohort companies participated during Session 1 in Anchorage
11
Volunteer advisors provided expert feedback.
51
Customer leads generated during Session 1
313
Portfolio Updates
All-Time Impact
77
Net total new Alaska jobs
$655M
Raised by portfolio companies
$342M in 2024
Accelerator cohort complanies
107
11 in 2024
33 in 2024
Total projects awarded in Alaska
90
16 in 2024
Metric tons CO2e reduced
1.4M
149k in 2024
Our goal: Support deployment of $1 billion in climate tech deployment by 2030.
To calculate this number, we include several factors. We count the value of Launch Alaska Portfolio projects in Alaska, and the value of partner projects directly supported by Launch Alaska staff. We also count the estimated value of future projects unlocked through our support. For example – if a Launch Alaska Portfolio company installs a microgrid control system that enables the deployment of a new renewable energy system, we count the value of the microgrid control system, and the estimated value of the renewable energy system it makes possible.
We’re making progress.
Between 2020 and 2025, we helped unlock more than $754.6 million worth of projects across Alaska.
This comprises 80% transportation projects, 19% energy projects, and 1% industry projects.
Progress Toward $1B
$754.6M
Watch: 2024 Impact Report Webinar
Join Launch Alaska COO Frances Ball and Deployment Principal Matt Nejati for a deep dive into Launch Alaska’s 2024 Impact Report, including accelerator updates, portfolio company deployments, and the latest progress in our quest to support $1 billion in Alaska climate tech deployments by 2030. Presented and recorded March 13, 2025.