STAX Engineering Funding, Investors & Competitors

First Solar designs and manufactures solar photovoltaic panels, modules, and systems for use in utility-scale development projects. The company's solar modules use cadmium telluride to convert sunlight into electricity. This is commonly called thin-film technology. First Solar is the world’s largest thin-film solar module manufacturer. It has production lines in Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, and India.

Nextpower (and its subsidiaries) is a leading provider of intelligent, integrated solar tracker and software solutions used in utility-scale and distributed generation solar projects around the world. Nextpower's products enable solar panels in utility-scale power plants to follow the sun’s movement across the sky and optimize plant performance. Nextpower has operations in the United States, Mexico, Spain and other countries in Europe, India, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, and Brazil.

Kraken is a London-headquartered customer engagement platform for energy, water, and broadband providers across Europe and North America. Its technology stack includes billing, CRM, self-service portals, and smart metering analytics to streamline operations. Kraken serves utilities like Octopus Energy and OVO, enabling net-zero transitions through demand response and EV charging management. The platform processes millions of customer interactions monthly, supporting regulatory compliance in deregulated markets.

Tongwei is the world's largest polysilicon producer and a leading solar cell and module supplier. The solar business contributed more than 60% of revenue in 2024. In addition, Tongwei runs a feed and food business, which made up 35% of revenue in 2024.

Jinko Solar is the largest Chinese solar module manufacturer by global shipment in 2024. Jinko's products are distributed across nearly 200 countries and regions. The company operates a vertically integrated production process, spanning from solar wafer and cell manufacturing to module production. Jinko's N-type cell capacity is industry-leading in scale.

Redwood Materials is a Carson City, Nevada company that recycles lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap, refines the recovered metals and produces battery materials, and has expanded into grid-scale energy storage built from retired electric vehicle batteries. It was founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, a co-founder and former chief technology officer of Tesla, and processes scrap from Panasonic's Nevada battery plant. Customers buy recovered cobalt, nickel, copper and lithium and cathode active material produced at its Nevada and South Carolina sites. Investors include Capricorn, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, T. Rowe Price, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Baillie Gifford, Eclipse, NVentures and Google. It raised a Series E of 425 million dollars that closed in January 2026 at a valuation reported above 6 billion dollars, and it reported about 200 million dollars of revenue in 2024. In 2023 it bought the German recycler Redux Recycling to start European operations.

Kingfa Sci & Tec Co Ltd is a China-based company engaged in the modified plastics industry. Its products include the development of modified plastics, fully biodegradable plastics, high-performance carbon fiber and composite materials, special engineering plastics, environmentally-friendly recycled plastics, fire retardant, and toughened plastics.

CSI Solar is a leading Chinese solar module producer, ranking seventh by solar module shipments in 2024. The company's products are available in over 160 countries and regions. CSI operates a vertically integrated production process, encompassing solar wafers, cells, and module production.

Premier Energies Ltd is an integrated manufacturer of solar cells and solar modules. The company mainly engages in the manufacturing and trading of solar modules, solar cells, and solar accessories. The majority of the company's revenue comes from the sale of these products and silicon wafers. Additionally, the company earns revenue from the sale of manufactured solar modules and from construction and project-related activities. Geographically, the company generates almost all of its revenue within India.

Shanghai Aiko Solar Energy Co Ltd is engaged in research, manufacturing and sales of crystalline silicon solar cells. The company's products include C&I Scenario COMET Series, Residential Scenario NEOSTAR Series, Lightweight module AIR and Utility Scenario STELLAR Series.

Trina Solar is one of the top four Chinese solar module producers. Trina's products are available in over 170 countries and regions. The company operates a vertically integrated production process, covering everything from solar wafers and cells to complete modules.

Enphase Energy is a global energy technology company. It delivers smart, easy-to-use solutions that manage solar generation, storage, and communication on one platform. The company's microinverter technology primarily serves the rooftop solar market and produces a fully integrated solar-plus-storage solution. Enphase derives a majority of revenue from the United States.

Indigo Ag is an agricultural technology company that sells microbial seed treatments and runs programs that pay farmers for practices that store carbon in soil. It began as a Flagship Pioneering venture to apply naturally occurring microbes to crops so they tolerate drought and disease with fewer chemical inputs. Over time it added a grain marketplace and transportation services that link growers to buyers, and a carbon program that generates credits sold to companies. Customers are farmers, grain buyers and food and beverage companies, and revenue comes from product sales, marketplace and logistics fees, and credit sales. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It acquired the satellite analytics firm TellusLabs in 2018 and the soil data company Soil Metrics in 2021.

Jetti Resources is a Denver-headquartered mining technology company founded in 2014 that deploys catalytic hydrometallurgy to leach copper from chalcopyrite ores previously deemed uneconomic. Its process boosts recovery rates to 85% at sites like Kennecott and increases output by 30% without new infrastructure. Backed by $60 million from Newmont and Mitsubishi, Jetti treats 100 million tons annually across North and South America.

Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd is an investment holding company. Along with its subsidiaries, it is engaged in the production and sale of solar glass products and the development and operation of solar farms. The company's operating segments include sales of solar glass and solar farm business, which includes solar farm development and solar power generation. A majority of its revenue is generated from the sales of solar glass. Geographically, it derives maximum revenue from Mainland China, followed by other areas in Asia, North America and Europe, and other regions.

Sunrun is engaged in the design, development, installation, sale, ownership, and maintenance of residential solar energy systems in the United States. The company acquires customers directly and through relationships with various solar and strategic partners. The solar systems are constructed by Sunrun or by Sunrun’s partners and are owned by the company. Sunrun’s customers typically enter into 20- to 25-year agreements to utilize its solar energy system. The company also sells solar energy systems and products, such as panels and racking, and solar leads generated to customers.

Pivot Bio is a Berkeley-headquartered ag-biotech company founded in 2010 that engineers microbes for crop nutrition. The firm develops nitrogen-fixing products using its proprietary ON Technology, which deploys naturally occurring microbes to supply nitrogen directly to corn roots. This approach reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers while boosting yields for farmers addressing global food demands.

Solugen is a biomanufacturing company producing specialty chemicals from plant sugars via precision fermentation. Houston-headquartered with a facility in Marshall, Texas, it supplies hydrogen peroxide precursors and surfactants to Procter & Gamble. The process replaces petrochemical routes with engineered enzymes and catalysts for carbon-negative output. Solugen addresses applications in personal care, cleaning products, and water treatment.