ThermoShade

What if outdoor spaces could remain cool without relying on grid electricity or water, even during extreme heat waves? With heat stress projected to cost the U.S. economy over $500 billion annually by 2050, industries such as transit, agriculture, and outdoor commerce are increasingly challenged by rising temperatures. These environments can become dangerously hot, limiting usability and increasing health risks.i ThermoShade is developing passive cooling shade panels to address this need by providing a sustainable solution that can maintain shaded areas up to 20°F cooler than traditional canvas awnings. Founded in 2023, the company plans to initially target the transit and dairy industries before expanding to schools, multi-family housing, and outdoor commerce areas, such as theme parks and shopping malls.In September 2023, the company constructed and tested a full-scale proof-of-concept shelter at the La Kretz Innovation Campus in Los Angeles. In testing, ThermoShade panels maintained an average temperature of 81°F, outperforming standard canvas awnings, which averaged 98°F. Building on this success, ThermoShade has finalized its minimum viable product (MVP) that is ready to pilot and will use some of this round of funding to develop a commercial design. The company anticipates deploying this design in two potential pilot studies: one with a California city mobility operator to test its panels on retrofitted bus shelters, aimed at improving rider comfort and public health outcomes, and another at Fresno State University’s dairy farm to explore cooling applications for agriculture. These pilots, potentially taking place in 2025, will provide critical data to validate the technology as the company aims for commercialization in 2026.

In September 2023, ThermoShade tested a full-scale shelter, with its panels showing temperatures averaging 81°F compared to 98°F for a traditional canvas awning, In August 2024, ThermoShade filed its first patent for its shading system using phase change materials (PCM) and multi-layered panels with reflective coatings to provide passive cooling, The company has two letters of intent (LOIs) for potential pilot studies in 2025: retrofitting California bus shelters and testing cooling panels at Fresno State University’s dairy farm, ThermoShade has raised $235,000 in total funding, including a $150,000 grant from CalSEED and a $55,000 grant from Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)