Ionblox is a Fremont, California battery company building high-energy, high-power lithium-ion cells around a proprietary pre-lithiated silicon (SiOx) anode. Spun out of the earlier Zenlabs Energy effort and rebranded in 2022, the company targets two demanding markets - electric vehicles and electric aviation (eVTOL) - with cells that it says exceed 330 Wh/kg and can charge to roughly 60% in five minutes while holding up past 1,000 cycles. Backed by eVTOL maker Lilium, Applied Ventures, Temasek and Catalus Capital, Ionblox has raised about $32M in Series B funding and holds more than 40 patents.
Qnovo is a Milpitas, California software company that makes lithium-ion batteries smarter. Its intelligent battery management platform - powering SpectralX adaptive fast charging and SentinelX safety diagnostics - is embedded in more than 150 million smartphones and increasingly in EVs from the world's top automakers, helping prevent fires, extend range, and stretch battery life.
Arc is a Los Angeles electric boat company building battery-powered watercraft from the ground up - software, motors, battery packs and hulls - rather than retrofitting gas boats. Founded in 2021 by veterans of SpaceX, Rivian and Tesla, Arc started with the high-end Arc One, found its commercial footing with the Arc Sport electric wake boat and the Arc Coast center console, and is now extending its propulsion stack into commercial and defense vessels including electric and hybrid tugboats. The pitch: quiet, fume-free, low-maintenance boats with the torque and software experience of an EV.