Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Knoxville Business News Tennessee Mountain Scenery Background
October 28, 2024 | Tom Ballard

3D Solar’s Daniel Clark remains in Knoxville after third cohort of Techstars accelerator

He continues to refine the company's business strategy, focusing on improving the financial model and optimizing the go-to-market approach.

Daniel Clark, the Founder of Topshelf Enterprises that does business as 3D Solar, was one of the entrepreneurs who decided to remain mostly in Knoxville after the third cohort of the “Techstars Industries of the Future Accelerator” completed its three-month run in early June.

He told us that he grew up in Minnesota but moved in 2005 at 21 years of age to California. “It’s all software in California,” Clark explained, and he was sold on participating in the Techstars program by third-year Managing Director Brandon Bruce.

“I really like the community,” he said. That’s at least in part because of the strong focus on energy from organizations like Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Tennessee Valley Authority, and the University of Tennessee. Clark also got connected to Knoxville’s General Graphene who helps Clark with his Quantum Microwave Sinter Oven material and is doing some test coating of his micro 3d solar glass substrates.

Today, he’s involved in another local program – the Spark Cleantech Accelerator – that will graduate participants from its third cohort of the 12-week program on November 19. Clark is one of six participants in the program, and another of the entrepreneurs – Lance Adler, Founder of Witching Hour – is also an alum of the third cohort of the “Techstars Industries of the Future Accelerator.”

As Katelyn Keenehan, teknovation.biz Assistant Editor, wrote in her article spotlighting 3D Solar, Clark is focused on revolutionizing the solar energy sector with a highly efficient method for harnessing solar power. He has crafted a novel three-dimensional solar cell/panel that maximizes energy production within a minimal footprint.

More specifically, Clark has engineered an innovative solar cell that captures two to three times more power at nearly half the cost of conventional silicon-based cells. He also is a material science and chemical expert who develops new 3D printing resin formulations for his new room temperature casting/molding intellectual property.

“We’re bending physics with this resin,” he explains, referring to a new 3D printing resin developd by 3D Solar in collaboration with Tethon 3D. Clark has chemically modified the resin so that it can be cast and molded down to 100 nanometers with various materials, including ceramics, metals and semiconductors. The resin is solidified using infrared light through a photocurable process, and unlike conventional transparent resins that follow the Beer-Lambert Law—which states that light absorption increases with the path length and concentration, limiting how deeply light can penetrate—this new resin allows infrared light to penetrate up to 3 inches deep. This breakthrough enables new applications beyond solar, in other industry sectors.

Following Spark Cleantech Accelerator Demo Day, Clark aims to close a pre-seed funding round of about $500,000. He has also applied for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to advance glass casting techniques and add Dr. Alex Stiles of Vitriform 3D as a subcontractor. Additionally, Clark recently submitted a proposal for the American-Made Solar Prize, with TVA providing a letter of support given the alignment with TVA’s efforts to add 10 GW of solar to the grid by 2035.

He currently resides downtown but plans to remain in the region about 75 percent of the time. Recently, he moved into a workspace at the  Fairview Technology Center and is exploring the lease of a lab space at the University of Tennessee Research Park at Cherokee Farm. In collaboration with Tim Vosburgh of Coulomb Technology, a member of the newest “Innovation Crossroads” cohort, Clark says they are developing a promising Zinc battery innovation.

When asked about his goals for the Spark Cleantech Accelerator, Clark highlighted two key objectives.

  • First, he aims to deepen his understanding of the local entrepreneurial community and build stronger connections within it.
  • Second, he plans to refine 3D Solar’s business strategy, focusing on improving the financial model and optimizing the go-to-market approach. This includes scaling the company’s minimum viable product for production and honing his pitch to attract investors more effectively.

The companies in the program will pitch during the annual “Opportunities in Energy” event, hosted by the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council and held on November 18 at the Crowne Plaza in Knoxville.



Like what you've read?

Forward to a friend!

Don’t Miss Out on the Southeast’s Latest Entrepreneurial, Business, & Tech News!

Sign-up to get the Teknovation Newsletter in your inbox each morning!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


No, thanks!