pre-lithiated-silicon
(2)
Sujeet Kumar
Sujeet Kumar is the co-founder and CEO of Ionblox, a Fremont, California battery company building pre-lithiated silicon-anode lithium-ion cells for electric vehicles and electric aviation. A materials scientist with a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and more than 60 patents to his name, he previously served as CTO of Envia Systems, where his team developed one of the first 400 Wh/kg lithium-ion cells with a silicon anode. Ionblox, formerly Zenlabs Energy, has raised roughly $32 million in Series B funding from backers including Lilium, Applied Ventures, Temasek and Catalus Capital, and markets cells that promise higher energy density, up to five times more power, and 10-minute fast charging.
Ionblox
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.