SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clark Street Associates (Clark Street), an advisory firm specializing in securing government grants, loans and strategic partnerships for hard tech companies, today announced a record year, growing revenue by 44% year-over-year, helped clients secure $110 million in non-dilutive government funding and kicked off 2026 by advising USA Rare Earth’s landmark $1.6 billion federal equity transaction. Clark Street has secured $5.4 billion in funding for its clients, highlighting the growing demand for advisors capable of operating at the center of federal industrial policy and commercial execution.
A Distinct Approach to Government Capital
Government funding is entering a new phase, shaped by larger and more competitive funding vehicles, increased use of direct equity investments and hybrid capital structures, and greater emphasis on long-term execution in strategically critical industries. As agencies raise the bar for participation, companies are being evaluated not only on technical merit but on their ability to scale, operate and deliver over time – an environment that places limits on the effectiveness of traditional lobbying practices.
Clark Street is uniquely structured to operate within this environment and to adapt dynamically as government priorities and funding frameworks evolve. Rather than functioning as a traditional lobbying or grant advisory firm, Clark Street embeds with clients’ management teams to understand how their businesses actually build technology, scale and compete. Its team works from the inside out – assessing manufacturing constraints, capital needs, customer demand and long-term growth strategy – to determine where meaningful overlap exists between commercial objectives and government priorities. In many cases, that means reframing how a company engages with the government altogether: positioning federal capital as a catalyst for derisking commercial expansion rather than as a standalone revenue stream. The result is not simply successful funding applications, but durable engagements that strengthen both the company’s market position and the government’s access to scalable, commercially sustained innovations.
“Some of the most innovative technology companies remain hesitant to work with the government because there are many who see the work as a distraction from commercial objectives, but that doesn’t have to be the case,” said Stephen Empedocles, CEO of Clark Street Associates. “We’re a team of commercial business and technology executives – we understand that you need capital that propels your business efforts, not distracts from them. That’s why Clark Street takes a client-driven approach, one that shapes government engagements around your business rather than just chasing after funding for projects that have been defined by someone else. Our success over the past 12 months and our consistently high win rate reflect an approach grounded in substance rather than in relationships alone, one that delivers results through different administrations.”
Expanded Equity Capabilities
As equity becomes a more prominent federal funding tool, Clark Street’s work has expanded accordingly. In early 2026, the firm partnered with Finalis, one of the country’s top investment banks, a first-of-its-kind federal equity advisory platform, designed to help companies navigate this new environment. The partnership integrates Clark Street’s federal strategy and execution expertise with Finalis’ investment banking infrastructure, creating a new category for executing government-backed equity investments.
Clark Street’s unique expertise and ability to partner with companies beyond traditional lobbying is reflected in its role as strategic advisor to USA Rare Earth on its landmark $1.6 billion deal in the rare earths and critical minerals sector, one of the largest deals completed by the Trump Administration to date.
High Performance Across Strategic Sectors
Clark Street’s performance reflects the effectiveness of this execution-focused approach. The firm supported clients across semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced energy, quantum computing and AI. It advised on larger awards, more complex deal structures and multi-stakeholder transactions tied to domestic manufacturing, supply chain resilience and national competitiveness. Over the past 24 months, more than 86% of semiconductor clients and 89% of critical minerals and energy clients that worked with Clark Street for more than 6 months have secured federal awards. These outcomes demonstrate the firm’s ability to deliver results, supported by a high-touch client model in which multiple senior advisors are assigned to each engagement and remain involved across strategy development, execution and negotiations.
New Geographic Reach
Clark Street expanded into Canada in 2025, extending its footprint across North America and enabling clients to pursue funding opportunities across federal and provincial programs. Canada’s federal government is deploying significant capital across strategic areas, including defense manufacturing, AI and quantum technology, critical minerals infrastructure and clean energy. The expansion supports companies evaluating cross-border growth and North America-wide capital strategies as governments adjust priorities and funding tools.
For more information about Clark Street’s work and services, visit https://www.clarkstreetassociates.com/.
About Clark Street Associates
Clark Street Associates is a leading advisory firm specializing in securing government funding—including grants, loans, and equity deals—as well as strategic partnerships for hard tech companies, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. The firm’s expert team of business development, technology, operations, and investment banking professionals takes an entrepreneurial, execution-focused approach that aligns government priorities with clients’ commercial goals, enabling access to high-value, non-dilutive funding opportunities that help their clients grow and innovate, without distraction. With a growing footprint in the U.S. and Canada, Clark Street has secured more than $5.4 billion in federal and state funding for technology leaders advancing state-of-the-art innovation across sectors, including semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced energy, defense, aerospace, robotics and artificial intelligence. Learn more at www.clarkstreetassociates.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
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