# Yutaka Wakai

> Yutaka Wakai is a manufacturing and process-engineering executive whose three-decade career has moved through Panasonic, A123 Systems, Zeon, QuantumScape, 24M Technologies, Desktop Metal and Blue Current. Formerly Blue Current’s vice president of advanced manufacturing, he brought experience in batteries, powder processing and production planning to the difficult handoff between promising chemistry and repeatable factory output. His current LinkedIn affiliation is Seastone Partners LLC.

- **Role:** Affiliated with Seastone Partners LLC; exact title not publicly stated
- **Organizations:** Seastone Partners LLC, Blue Current, Desktop Metal, 24M Technologies, QuantumScape, Zeon, A123 Systems, Panasonic
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Maizuru College of Technology, Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Production System Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology
- **Known for:** Accumulated approximately 30 years of experience scaling battery production from early stages to mass production., Held technical positions including chief engineer, principal engineer, research fellow and senior director of process engineering., Built the manufacturing plan and selected volume-production machinery at 24M Technologies.

## Career timeline

- **1990s-2020s** — Built approximately 30 years of experience scaling battery production through roles at Panasonic, A123 Systems, Zeon, QuantumScape and 24M Technologies.
- **Before Desktop Metal** — As senior director of process engineering at 24M Technologies, built a manufacturing plan and selected equipment for volume production.
- **Before Blue Current** — As senior director of process engineering at Desktop Metal, developed metal 3D-printer media for mass production.
- **2024** — A U.S. patent for systems and methods for infusion mixing a slurry-based electrode, naming Wakai among the inventors, was granted.
- **Before 2026** — Served as vice president of advanced manufacturing at Blue Current in Hayward, California.
- **2025** — Seastone Partners LLC was formed in California, with Wakai listed as its registered agent; his LinkedIn profile now names the company as his current affiliation.
- **2026** — Blue Current’s Hayward pilot line became operational and began producing 2Ah cells.

## Achievements

- Accumulated approximately 30 years of experience scaling battery production from early stages to mass production.
- Held technical positions including chief engineer, principal engineer, research fellow and senior director of process engineering.
- Built the manufacturing plan and selected volume-production machinery at 24M Technologies.
- Developed metal 3D-printer media for mass production at Desktop Metal.
- Named as an inventor on granted U.S. Patent 11,961,990 concerning infusion mixing and electrode manufacturing.

## Latest updates

- **2026** — Wakai’s public LinkedIn profile identifies Seastone Partners LLC as his current company.
- **2026** — Blue Current reports that its Hayward pilot line is operational and producing 2Ah cells following Wakai’s advanced-manufacturing tenure.
- **2025-12** — Blue Current announced more than $80 million in Series D extension financing anchored by Amazon to accelerate commercialization.
- **2024-04** — A U.S. patent naming Wakai as an inventor was granted for systems and methods for infusion mixing a slurry-based electrode.

## Links

- Website: https://bluecurrent.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yutaka-wakai-2b11aa44

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/yutaka-wakai
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-28