# BANIQL

> BANIQL is a Santa Clara / San Jose-based climate-tech startup building a low-acid, low-energy chemical process to extract nickel and cobalt from laterite ore for lithium-ion batteries. Its patented method runs at atmospheric pressure and lower temperatures, cutting energy use and CO2 emissions by roughly 80%, lowering costs by about 30% versus conventional high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL), and generating virtually zero waste. Founded in 2021, the company runs R&D and pilot production in the U.S. and ton-scale prototype production in Indonesia, targeting the EV and battery-materials supply chain.

- **Founded:** 2021
- **Headquarters:** San Jose / Santa Clara, California, United States
- **Founders:** Willy Halim (Co-Founder & CTO (UC Berkeley and Cornell educated)), Eric Januar (Co-Founder & CEO (chemical engineer, UC Berkeley)), Seungwan Kim (Co-Founder & COO (PhD Materials Science, KAIST)), Aristotle Vergara (Co-Founder & Facility Director)
- **Team size:** ~12 employees
- **Products:** Green nickel & cobalt extraction process, Battery-grade nickel prototypes, Recyclable by-products, EXTRACT newsletter
- **Notable:** WIPO Global Awards 2025 finalist (selected from 780 applications across 95 countries), Raised over $3M since 2021, including a US$1.6M seed round in 2024, Backed by 500 Global, BEENEXT, Genesia Ventures, Seedstars, A2D Ventures and Sopoong

## Products & services

- **Green nickel & cobalt extraction process** — A proprietary low-acid, low-energy chemical process that selectively extracts nickel and cobalt from laterite ore at lower temperatures and atmospheric pressure, cutting energy use and CO2 by ~80% and costs by ~30% versus HPAL, with virtually zero waste.
- **Battery-grade nickel prototypes** — High-purity nickel produced from a ton-scale pilot line in Indonesia, aimed at cathode manufacturers in the lithium-ion battery supply chain.
- **Recyclable by-products** — Process residues repurposed into fertilizers and construction materials, and returned safely to rehabilitated land to support plant growth.
- **EXTRACT newsletter** — A monthly company newsletter covering BANIQL's progress and the green-nickel / critical-minerals space.

## Achievements

- WIPO Global Awards 2025 finalist (selected from 780 applications across 95 countries)
- Raised over $3M since 2021, including a US$1.6M seed round in 2024
- Backed by 500 Global, BEENEXT, Genesia Ventures, Seedstars, A2D Ventures and Sopoong
- Completed a 100 kg/month pre-pilot plant (Q4 2024) and a ton-scale line in Indonesia
- 2023 Temasek Foundation climate grant recipient
- Multiple patents filed (2022, 2024) with a third application underway; PCT strategy across major mining markets

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Raised additional venture funding from 500 Global and Genesia Ventures, with returning investor BEENEXT participating; funds earmarked for tech advancement, pilot expansion, and global customer engagement.
- **2025-01** — Named a WIPO Global Awards 2025 finalist for its green-nickel IP scaling strategy.
- **2024-12** — Completed a 100 kg/month pre-pilot plant (Q4 2024) and progressed ton-scale prototype production in Indonesia.
- **2024-05** — Closed a US$1.6M seed round led by BEENEXT with Seedstars, A2D Ventures, Sopoong and angels.

## Links

- Website: https://baniql.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/baniql
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/baniql
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baniql
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baniql

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/baniql
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-07