Cellmates by Lumicity

Sylvatex founder Virginia on building a battery cathode materials company ahead of the curve - and surviving long enough to be proved right. Mike Norton and Jackson Lyons close out Series 8 with one of the most personal and most commercially sharp conversations of the whole series.  Virginia, founder of Sylvatex , has been building in the cathode active materials space since before it was consider...

Battery industry consultant Jill Pestana: 15 years in the field, and one clear conviction - communication is as critical as the technology. Mike Norton sits down with Jill Pestana, founder of Pestana Solutions - a strategic advising firm helping battery companies translate complex technology into messages that move investors, customers, and partners to act. Jill's story is one of the most inte...

Dragonfly Energy's Director of Product Development on building safer lithium-ion batteries - and why solid-state is the only real end goal. Mike Norton and Jackson Lyons sit down with Emily Litt, Director of Product Development at Dragonfly Energy - a Nevada-based battery company that's been making lithium-ion packs for off-grid applications since 2012, and quietly building toward somethin...

Pumped hydro is 95% of the world's energy storage. We're running out of mountains. So what comes next? Mike Norton sits down with Eric Chaves, founder of Terrament - a company building large-scale, long-duration energy storage that replicates what pumped hydro does, but without needing rivers, reservoirs, or geography on your side. Eric's path to founding Terrament is genuinely unusual...

Battery cathode materials startup Nascent Materials: founded by a former Tesla Gigafactory engineer fixing the supply problem he saw from the inside. Mike Norton and Jackson Lyons kick off Series 8 with Chaitanya Sharma, founder and CEO of Nascent Materials - a battery cathode materials startup based in Newark, New Jersey, that just closed its seed round. Chaitanya's CV is unlike most founders...

In this closing episode, we sit down with Dean Hossein Haj-Hariri to reflect on the major themes of the series and look ahead to the future of CIBI. We cover: Key learnings from across the series Why the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation is central to South Carolina's energy strategy The power of partnerships and ecosystem building A vision for the future of US Battery Innovation CIBI...

This episode spotlights Phenogy, with CEO PeterBraun and Director North America Suzanne Dickerson,exploring how industry partnerships accelerate energy storage innovation. CIBI University of South Carolina

In this week's episode, we speak with Sam Phillips, Digital Strategies Lead at Siemens, about the company’s role in driving innovation at the intersection of research and industry.  We cover: CIBI University of South Carolina

This week's exciting episode spotlights SC Nexus, a key player in building the collaborative ecosystem surrounding CIBI.   We talk with one of the most informed and influential women in South Carolina, Cristina Paredes (Executive Director of SC Nexus) covering: How SC Nexus connects research, industry, and investment The strategic importance of ecosystem thinking for energy innovation South Ca...

This week's episode highlights how USC alumni are driving impact across national labs and industry. We hear from: Drew Pereira , NREL – early-career researcher at the frontline of battery R&D Will Rigdon , Stanley Black & Decker – mid-career leader bridging engineering and real-world deployment Venkat Srinivasan , Argonne National Lab – late-career visionary shaping the national research a...

In Episode 2 of our CIBI Series, we turn the spotlight on the University of South Carolina (USC) faculty driving battery and energy storage research forward. This episode explores how researchers at different career stages — from early-career innovators to established leaders — are shaping the growth of the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation (CIBI) . You’ll hear insights from: Goli Jalilvan...

In this episode, we speak with the leaders of 6 companies driving innovation in battery technology and energy storage, and carefully selected for the NENY Charge Up Accelerator. Amel Energy – non-toxic solvents and PFAS-free binders for sustainable lithium-ion manufacturing Valgotech – developing lithium–sulfur batteries to diversify and secure supply chains FastLion Energy (FLE) – improving perfo...

This episode launches our special 7-part series on the Carolina Istitute for Battery Innovation (CIBI) , founded in 2024 and adding to South Carolina’s long history in battery research dating back to the 1980s. We’re joined by William Mustain , key leader from the University of South Carolina , to explore how CIBI is positioning itself as a hub for world-class battery innovation. In this conversat...

We’re joined by Moshiel Biton, CEO of Addionics , to explore a battery component that rarely gets attention but plays a crucial role in performance: current collectors . Addionics is pioneering a new 3D current collector architecture that promises to dramatically improve energy density, safety, and charging speed — while being compatible with existing manufacturing processes. In this conversation,...

We sit down with Gary Ong, CEO of Celadyne Technologies , to hear the story of building a startup in one of the toughest markets — clean hydrogen and fuel cells. We discuss: Founding Celadyne in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic Developing proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with breakthrough durability and performance Securing early contracts in the defense sector and navigating governmen...

This episode kicks off our new Charge Up Series , following 6 start-ups in the NENY Charge Up Accelerator — a program created to strengthen domestic manufacturing and accelerate innovation in battery technology and clean energy . The NENY Charge Up initiative is built around four key pillars: Innovation – supporting breakthrough ideas in energy storage Workforce Development – preparing talent for...

This week we’re joined by Gabrielle Pierre (裴家佳), Executive Director of the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM), to discuss how Georgia is becoming a hub for electric vehicles, battery supply chains, and clean mobility policy. Gabrielle explains the state’s rapid EV growth, the importance of public-private partnerships, and how investment in electrification and battery manufacturing is...

In this episode, we speak with Nika Ptushkina of PDF Solutions about how data analytics is transforming battery manufacturing and why representation matters in clean energy. We cover: How AI and predictive analytics are being applied to battery production lines Improving cell performance, yield, and quality control through smarter data use Nika’s career journey from physical science into data scie...

In this episode, co-hosts Mike Norton and Jackson Lyons sit down with Emily Dickens, Chief Commercial Officer at Octet Scientific, to explore how her company is advancing energy storage through smart chemistry. Emily discusses: Her journey from chemical engineering graduate to startup innovator at Octet Scientific The development of specialty electrolyte additives designed to improve rechargeabili...

In this episode, we’re joined by Roshan Pujari, founder and CEO of Stardust Power, a fast-rising player in the American battery-grade lithium refining space. As demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and grid-scale energy storage explodes, Roshan and his team are building one of the first large-scale lithium refineries in the U.S.—designed to process domestic and imported raw lithium into high-purity...

Discussions with Derek Ramsell, co‑founder of Battery Metals Inc, on how he’s applying his hard-won experience in the gold mining industry to revolutionise battery recycling. Operating from North Carolina, Battery Metals is harnessing mining-style operations to recover valuable metals from used battery packs—essential to scaling the domestic energy storage supply chain. Topics covered include: Tra...

John Busbee, a member of Xerion’s leadership team, talks about the long and winding road of building a cleantech company; sharing candid reflections on overcoming technical setbacks, refining their product offering, and maintaining belief through moments of doubt. As we map Xerion’s evolution—from early R&D struggles to pioneering sustainable battery materials—John’s authentic account highligh...

Aaron Wade offers a deep dive into the financial landscape of the battery industry, sharing unique perspectives on investment strategies, valuation trends, and funding challenges. Topics covered: Financing in focus: How capital flows into battery startups and what investors seek Valuation dynamics: Methods for assessing worth in high-growth energy tech Market trends: Emerging patterns in clean ene...

Mike Norton and James Lang sit down with  Mykela DeLuca, a battery data scientist and product manager at Micantis, to explore her transition from physical sciences to cutting‑edge AI and data science in battery diagnostics. Mykela shares her story of how data science is reshaping the battery industry—particularly in predictive modeling for cycle life tests, cell health analytics, and quality contr...

Brad Reed, VP of Corporate Development at Microporous (the U.S. leader in lithium-ion battery separator technology) shares his career journey, the story of building multiple battery-focused businesses, and how Microporous secured a $100 million Department of Energy grant to expand domestic manufacturing. Highlights include: Key takeaways from founding and growing battery material ventures Micropor...