BATON ROUGE — A state-backed energy transition initiative is expanding into company creation by launching a new startup incubator.

Future Use of Energy in Louisiana announced Tuesday that it has officially launched the FUEL Venture Studio, tapping tech entrepreneur Daryl Roy as its inaugural Innovator in Residence.

The studio aims to connect universities, corporate partners and private investors to build startups focused on carbon management, traditional manufacturing and modernized infrastructure. Instead of just funding existing businesses, the venture studio model actively pairs emerging research with operators to form and launch companies from the ground up.

In his new role, Roy will evaluate commercial viability for new technologies, vet business plans alongside industry specialists, and recruit founding teams to run the ventures. Roy brings roughly eight years of experience scaling tech startups in the region, having previously secured nearly $70 million in commercial and government contract value across his ventures.

"Louisiana has spent generations powering the nation, and we have an opportunity to play an equally important role in defining what comes next," Roy said of the appointment, emphasizing a focus on keeping intellectual property and job creation within the state.

The initiative comes as Louisiana pushes to retain homegrown technical talent and position its established industrial corridor at the forefront of the energy transition.