2027 Agenda
Battery Venture, Innovation & Partnering
3/15/2027 - March 16, 2027 ALL TIMES EDT
Preliminary Agenda
Session Block
CAPITAL MARKET OUTLOOK
Battery Report 2026: Contextualizing the Capital Landscape
Capital Markets Update and the Evolution of Positioning in the Battery Space
As the world is changing and the need for energy continues to grow in exponential ways, the battery industry has evolved, from a technology that enables that growth to a mission-critical part of our energy infrastructure. The way in which the industry has positioned itself has also evolved significantly over the past five years or so, as capital markets have shifted and commercial opportunities have adjusted to align with thematics tied to data centers, Physical AI, energy security and the electrification ecosystem more broadly.
Panel Moderator:
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Powering the AI Build-Out: Venture Deal Flow in Data Centers
Jeff Johnson, General Partner, B Capital
AI is driving a wave of data center construction, and venture capital is moving fast to keep up. This panel brings together VCs, hyperscaler partners and strategic investors to look at where data center deal flow is heading: power and backup systems, cooling, grid interconnection and on-site generation. Panelists will discuss which technologies are drawing capital, what hyperscalers want from startups, how long a pilot takes to become a procurement deal, and how founders can win in one of the fastest-growing infrastructure markets today.
SCALING TO COMPETE
Panel Moderator:
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Faster to Market, Lighter on Capital: Going Fabless at China Speed
Ulderico Ulissi, PhD, Business Fellow, Breakthrough Energy , Business Fellow , Breakthrough Energy
The discussion will cover four main points. What has made Asian manufacturers competitive, and what Western start-ups working in Asia have learned. How and what part of the Asian playbook can be replicated in the West. Why asset-light manufacturing is a winning strategy rather than a compromise, why batteries differ from semiconductors, and which end markets a fabless product can realistically serve. Capital and exits: whether a lighter balance sheet genuinely shortens the path to an exit or narrows the set of buyers, and how founders and investors reconcile venture fund timelines with the pace of battery commercialization.
FUNDING COMMERCIALIZATION
Panel Moderator:
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Raising the Capital to Commercialize Technology—Fund Deep Tech to Scale
James Frith, Principal, Volta Energy Technologies , Volta Energy Technologies
Panelists:
Scott Walbrun, Principal, BMW i Ventures , Principal , BMW i Ventures
Simon Buderath, Strategy & Technology Consulting, P3 USA , Strategy & Technology Consulting , P3 Group
Golareh Jalilvand, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina Columbia , Asst Prof , Chemical Engineering , University of South Carolina
Panel Moderator:
PANEL DISCUSSION:
From Lab to Lot: How Battery Start-Ups Can Break into the Auto OEM Supply Chain
John Lyons, Senior Implementation Associate, General Motors , Sr Associate , Battery Implementation , GM Ventures
Bringing breakthrough battery technology into the electric vehicle (EV) market requires far more than a lab scale technology demonstration alone. Start-ups in this space must navigate a complex web of cost pressures, manufacturing scale up challenges, supply chain readiness, and talent gaps—often simultaneously and under intense time constraints. In this panel, leading voices from automotive corporate venture capital (CVC) arms and top-tier financial VCs investing heavily in battery technologies will discuss what it really takes for battery start-ups to scale and integrate into OEM product lines. What does it take to go beyond the tech demo and into a production contract? What do investors look for beyond the core IP? How can start-ups align their fundraising, operations, and talent strategies to meet the expectations of automotive OEMs? Tailored for battery ecosystem founders and suppliers, this discussion will dive into real-world challenges and practical strategies—from financing and partnerships to scaling and validation—that can make or break a start-up’s path to commercialization.
INVESTING IN NEW BATTERY DEMAND
Panel Moderator:
PANEL DISCUSSION:
AI, Robots, and Drones oh my! New Battery Demand Everywhere
Ken Hoffman, Founder & CEO, Traubenbach , Founder & CEO , Traubenbach
Panelists:
Spencer Huh, CEO, Neo Battery Materials Ltd. , CEO , Neo Battery Materials Ltd.
William Mustain, PhD, Director, Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation, University of South Carolina , Dir , Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation , Univ of South Carolina Columbia
Panel Moderator:
PANEL DISCUSSION:
From Lab to Scale – Building Next-Generation Battery Companies
Maximilian Von Poelnitz, General Partner, Foothill Ventures , General Partner , Foothill Ventures
Panelists:
Darren Tan, PhD, CEO, UNIGRID Battery , CEO , Mgmt , UNIGRID
Jonathan Tan, CEO & Co-Founder, Coreshell , CEO & Co-Founder , Coreshell
CRITICAL MINERALS AND SUPPLY CHAIN FIRESIDE CHAT
Critical Minerals: A Fireside Chat with Paul Lichty, CEO, Forge Nano
Critical Minerals: A Fireside Chat with Paul Lichty, CEO, Forge Nano
PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS
Metal Contamination in Dry Electrode Lithium-ion Batteries
Metallic contamination in lithium-ion battery cathodes can cause field failures via internal short circuits. While magnets effectively remove metal particles in wet electrode processing, their efficiency drops significantly in dry processing. Dry methods also increase equipment wear, raising contamination risks. This talk examines how such contamination leads to microshorts, the behavior of microshorts with cycling, and methods to reliably manage metal contaminants in dry manufacturing environments.
New Science Frontiers in Battery Technologies
In this talk, I will discuss a few new perspectives for energy storage materials including new solvation architecture designs for liquid electrolytes and new superionic conductors in soft or hard materials. With recent advances in photon and electron characterization tools and computational methods, we can explore ionic mobility, charge transfer and ion matter interactions in electrochemical system in operando.
Energy Solution Technologies for the AI Era: Expanding the Value of Advanced Battery Systems
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is accelerating demand for reliable and sustainable energy infrastructure. Advanced battery technologies are evolving beyond traditional energy storage to become a critical foundation for data centers, mobility, renewable energy integration, and resilient power systems.This presentation explores key technology trends shaping the future of rechargeable batteries,including cell innovation, system integration, safety enhancement, and resource circularity. Panasonic Energy will share its perspective on how battery technologies can support the energy transition and create new value for society in the AI era.
CONFERENCE CONTENT
Edel O’Regan, PhD
Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management
(+1) 781-697-0586
[email protected]
PARTNERING & SPONSORSHIP
Brian Caine
Manager, Strategic Partnerships
(+1) 908-809-0946
[email protected]