Agenda
Battery Venture, Innovation & Partnering
March 13, 2024 ALL TIMES EDT
Wednesday, March 13
Registration Open and Morning Coffee
Hallmarks of Strong PatentsGrant Ehrlich, PhD, Partner and Chair, Energy Storage, , Batteries and Materials Practice, Cantor Colburn LLP
Patents that effectively protect products, their equivalents, and alternatives can be critical to a company’s success. For companies where IP represents a significant part of a company’s value, or is its major product, having strong patents is especially important to preserving value in an acquisition or other transition. A strong patent is prepared to withstand the scrutiny of due diligence, the nuances of worldwide examination, and a copyist looking for an opportunity. This presentation presents a dozen features of strong patents to look for at the core of every patent portfolio.
Financing the Energy Transition
Andrew Miller, COO, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
Benchmark explores the capital requirements of building the supply chains needed to facilitate EV adoption and the broader shift to a clean energy landscape. Examining market dynamics from raw materials to battery cells, Benchmark analyzes the structural evolution which will be required to meet policymaker targets and industry ambitions over the coming decade.
Capital Allocation in the New Energy Economy
Edward Keith, Consultant, Rho Motion
Rho Motion explores essential post-cell manufacturing advancements, pivotal in shaping the new energy landscape. Focusing on the journey to widespread Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption, the session navigates vehicle charging infrastructure before concluding by delving into critical insights on lithium-ion battery recycling. It unravels legislative challenges and opportunities while emphasizing prerequisite investment requirements essential for meeting industry goals.
Funding the Growth in the US Battery Value Chain—Current Status & What Is Needed
Jeffrey Mathews, Managing Director, Barclays Investment Bank
- Who are the key investors in battery companies?
- Where is the need for further investment and innovation to meet the growing demand in the battery space?
- Meeting the challenge of funding the move to large commercial-scale production.
- When should a company consider utilizing debt and/or project finance to help minimize equity dilution along the way?
Dong-Su Kim, CEO, LG Technology Ventures
Emmanuel Lagarrigue, Partner & Global Co-Head of Climate, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Rajesh Swaminathan, Partner, Khosla Ventures
Libby Wayman, Partner, Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Jay Chong, Co-Founder, Millennium New Horizons
Vivaswath Kumar, CEO, Mitra Chem
Networking Coffee Break
Investment and Innovations in Mining and Refining for Critical Minerals for Battery Supply Chain for Lithium-ion
Katherine He, Investor, TDK Ventures Inc.
- The energy transition is a metals transition, what is the status of investment and technology advancement to aid this transition?
- How has the landscape of investment in raw materials changed as governments look to build out domestic supply of key ingredients?
- Looking 10-20 years out, what geographies will be playing larger roles in the raw materials and critical mineral mining?
- What are the supply chain challenges and geopolitical challenges, accessibility vs availability?
- Who is making large and midsize investment in this space?
- What is it like for a CEO or Co-founders to raise in this space?
Hansol Kim, Managing Partner, Bricks Capital Management
Donald S. Swartz II, CEO, American Rare Earths Ltd.
Cameron Dales, Co-Founder, Peak Energy
The State of Battery Supply Chain DevelopmentBrad Migdal, Executive Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield
Another big year of project announcements, capital investment and job creation has altered the process in making corporate site selection. This presentation will cover Q2 and Q3 action items that DOE applicants should be considering, new trends in campus focused industrial development, and how scarce utilities will affect location factors in 2024.
Reinventing Cathodes: Ten Years of Investment & Innovation
Paige Johnson, Founder & CEO, Ten-Nine Technologies
Ten-Nine Technologies was founded in 2014 with a dream of creating new materials for new economies. Ten years later, Ten-Nine brings to market breakthrough materials for the energy and chemical industries across a broad range of applications - including energy storage. Ten-Nine’s proprietary nano additive, TENIX™, is the only new material to address the performance limitations of cathodes. TENIX™ is domestically produced with a carbon neutral footprint to the manufacturing gate.
Powering the Future: Battery Innovation Venturing
Katherine He, Investor, TDK Ventures Inc.
This talk will explore the latest start-up innovation landscapes in battery technologies across the value chain, from battery critical minerals mining and refinery, active materials and key component processing, as well as cell and pack manufacturing, and end-of-life battery recycling and reuse. The speaker will provide insights into the venture funding profile across the value chain, highlighting key investment trends of low-carbon, circular economy, and supply chain solutions that are shaping the battery industry’s trajectory.
Building Better Batteries through Solvent-Free ManufacturingTalk Title to be Announced
Rajan Kumar, CEO and Founder, Ateios
Ateios Systems has revolutionized the battery manufacturing process through its innovative use of an energy (e-beam) curing system, offering a solvent-free process for fabricating battery devices with enhanced speed, cost-efficiency, and positive environmental impacts. Originating from Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), the e-beam curing technology serves as a seamless integration into existing roll-to-roll manufacturing lines, requiring minimal adjustments to the current infrastructure. Distinguished by its versatility, the energy curing system transcends existing electrode manufacturing processes and is compatible with multiple battery chemistries. This manufacturing innovation has the potential to reduce battery fabrication costs by 20%, dropping from $100/kWh to $80/kWh. Simultaneously, it can elevate energy density by an impressive 50%, surging from 200 Wh/kg to over 300 Wh/kg. These advancements are not limited to a specific type or size of battery technology, creating a broad-reaching impact across the entire battery manufacturing landscape. Ateios' implementation of this technology positions the company at the forefront of innovative battery solutions, promising to enhance efficiency and performance in the production of batteries across the board.
Networking Lunch
Emerging Battery Technologies
Chris Claxton, Principal, Volta Energy Technologies
- Why is it important to invest in beyond Li-Ion technologies?
- What next gen chemistries are you most excited about in the near future?
- How receptive are existing corporate players with investing in companies with emerging technologies around next gen batteries?
- What areas need further investment?
- Lessons Learned from CEO’s who have raised from early and late stages, what are their challenges?
- How has raising capital changed in two years? Advice for those starting out.
Colin Wessells, CEO, Natron Energy
Rajshekar DasGupta, CEO, Electrovaya
Sean D. Doyle, Managing Director, Intel Capital
Jesse Teichman, Partner, MacKinnon, Bennett & Co. USA
Kang Sun, CEO, Amprius Technologies Inc.
Recycling and Reuse of Batteries: The Next Pressing Need for Investment & Innovation
Amanda Bamberger, Vice President, Ecosystem Integrity Fund
- What is the market size and timing of the recycling opportunity?
- Which battery markets or segments of the value chain are ripe for innovation? Which are the most challenging?
- Where are the future needs for investment?
- Who is investing in recycling?
- How do you de-risk the opportunity especially for existing or future project financiers?
- The CEO viewpoint
Sophie Myers, Lead Sustainability Consultant, Minviro
Guillermo Espiga, VP, Bus Dev, Nth Cycle Inc
Zheng Li, CEO, Li Industries
Dylan Roman, Founder & CEO, Niu Niu
FIRESIDE CHAT: Role of Government through Investments and Legislative Actions
Tom Schadewald, Director, Equity Capital Markets, Baird Investment Bank
- How has the legislative landscape changed in recent years to be more accommodative to the industry?
- Are there still roadblocks from a legislative perspective that need to be addressed?
- How does the government play a key role in investment in emerging technologies in the battery industry?
- Are there any key government investment programs you would highlight to executives in the industry that they can utilize to secure additional capital investment?
- How can institutional investors and 3rd party capital providers work with the government to ensure efficient capital allocation?
Daniel Shapiro, Technology Deployment Manager, Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, US Department of Energy
Rahul Malik, Senior Science and Technology Advisor, Office of Energy Research and Development, Natural Resources Canada
Networking Refreshment Break
Use of AI/ML/Data Analytics on Battery Design, Manufacturing, and Deployment
Kamal Shah, Former Senior Director, AI and Cloud Computing, Intel
- What roles are AI/ML and data analytics currently playing in the battery industry and how will this change over time?
- Are there areas of the battery industry eco-system today that could benefit from additional use of AI, machine learning, and data analytics?
- What companies are you most excited about today that could play a key role in growth of AI/ML and data analytics as it relates to the battery eco-system?
- Who is investing in this space?
- What is it like to be a CEO in this space and to raise at this time?
Jeff Peters, Partner, Ibex Investors
Jason S. Koeller, Co-Founder & CTO, Chemix Inc.
Eric Moch, Co-Founder & CEO, Glimpse
Nadim Maluf, CEO, Qnovo
Town Hall: Open Format CEO Panel
Michal Wolkin, Former Director, GM Ventures, Battery & Electrification
Bridget Han, Principal, Schusterman Family Ventures
Moshiel Biton, CEO, Addionics
Paul Lichty, Co-Founder & CEO, Forge Nano
Paige Johnson, Founder & CEO, Ten-Nine Technologies LLC
Close of Conference & Reception in the Exhibit Hall