Ten pioneering startups from across the lithium battery value chain presented their vision of Australia’s battery sector to an engaged audience of investors, policymakers, and industry participants at the inaugural Supercharge Australia Incubator Pitch Day.
After three months of tailored support from EnergyLab and New Energy Nexus, these founders now stand poised to accelerate the country’s battery manufacturing capabilities – with solutions ranging from raw material innovation, marine applications, embedding safe energy storage into our living spaces, to cell reuse and repair.
Here are the participating startups and their lithium battery value chain focus
- Adoxima, Carbophite, Voltavate: Carbon emissions-free, better, and cheaper lithium battery materials
- InnovoltIQ: Cell production
- Li-ion Energy and Sustainable Lithium Cells Australia: Reuse, repair, and recycling
- Naut: Marine electrification
- Net Zero Energy Solutions: V2G adoption acceleration
- Noizend: Enhancing battery energy storage system (BESS) community livability via intelligent noise-cancellation
- Powerblocks: Embedded energy storage
The completion of the first Incubator marks a key milestone in Supercharge Australia’s broader mission – to support over 150 startups in the lithium battery value chain and catalyse a thriving, interconnected lithium battery innovation sector – by adding a second program focused on supporting earlier-stage startups. The new program provided mentorship, expert advice, pilot opportunities, early customer connections, investor engagement, and international exposure, helping the teams to build the foundations of Australia’s battery future. We thank all of the experts for their generous contributions.
Launched in 2022, Supercharge Australia has now completed two Innovation Challenges. With the addition of the Incubator, it is now supporting 31 startups that have raised over $71 million in funding since they participated in its programs.
Building a circular battery value chain
Australia has a generational opportunity to move beyond exporting lithium ore and build a competitive, homegrown battery value chain. The startups in this year’s Incubator show how this is already taking shape: connecting technologies across the life cycle of a battery, from production to application to reuse. Their innovations don’t just solve isolated problems; they strengthen each link in the chain, multiplying impact along the chain to make the entire system cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient. This is how Australian batteries can compete.
Together, they demonstrate what a circular, high-value battery ecosystem could look like:
- Producing battery components with higher performance, many times lower costs, CO2 emissions, and up to 99% less production wastage – thanks to Adoxima, Carbophite, and Voltavate
- Manufacturing lithium battery cells at scale – with InnovoltIQ facility producing their first 500 MW per annum
- Deploying batteries in end-use applications – such as marine electrification (Naut) and vehicle-to-grid systems (Net Zero Engineering Solutions)
- Integrating batteries into communities – through quieter energy storage (Noizend) and attractive, modular battery systems for shared spaces (Powerblocks)
- Recovering value at end-of-life – with smart reuse and recycling solutions from Li-ion Energy and Sustainable Lithium Cells Australia
With coordinated support, these early-stage innovations can accelerate Australia’s transition from resource supplier to battery technology leader.
Backing Australia’s battery future
Australia remains the world’s leading lithium producer, supplying over one-third of global demand. With the global lithium battery market still forecast to be significantly undersupplied by 2030, Australian producers are seeking efficiency improvements and are investing in downstream opportunities to secure vertical capacity and greater profitability.
Each startup in the Incubator cohort is developing a critical piece of the emerging ecosystem, and the kinds of investment opportunities the sector is seeking. Their solutions highlight the scale of opportunity when early-stage innovation is backed with intent, speed, and coordinated support.
While early traction for the cohort members was strong – from prototypes to paid pilots – the startups were all facing the same uphill challenge: securing capital, facilities, and support to go from validated concepts to scalable commercial impact. The Incubator addresses this gap by de-risking particularly early innovation, reducing barriers to commercialisation, and helping Australia retain its battery IP rather than lose it offshore.
Powering the clean energy transition
As global warming trends continue toward a 3°C pathway, and the risks of overshoot, consequent tipping points, and heavy reliance on unproven carbon capture and storage technologies rise, building a high-functioning cleantech sector that can dramatically accelerate decarbonisation becomes a strategic, global imperative.
Batteries power the clean energy transition, making it an important piece of this response – and battery startups have tremendous potential to pave the way, especially when supported early.
To further develop this economic opportunity, Australia can adopt proven models like our CalTestBed program in California, which turned US$22 million in early-stage testing access into over US$438 million in follow-on investment by offering non-dilutive, non-matching grants to startups solving big climate problems. If a similar system were applied here, it would rapidly increase the volume and readiness of battery startups ready to attract private capital or integrate into gigafactory supply chains.
“Building Australian lithium battery capability begins with supporting innovation at its earliest stages — with non-matched and non-dilutive funding to produce prototypes, pilots and real-world testing opportunities,” said Kirk McDonald, Project Manager at Supercharge Australia.
Australia has a generational opportunity to do the same: Supercharge Australia is calling for new initiatives to:
- Provide non-dilutive, non-matching seed funding for early-stage lithium battery value chain startups.
- Open access to testing, certification, and demonstration facilities.
- Support pilot customers and fleet procurement to validate new tech.
- Connect investors and government with the pipeline of founders building the sector.
To continue building the momentum for this sector, our next program is launching now. This will be our third Supercharge Australia Innovation Challenge – applications are open.
The Inaugural Supercharge Australia Incubator Cohort
Adoxima
Founder(s)
Vyom Parashar, Kristoffer Collopy
Description
A green way to manufacture advanced materials without toxic chemicals, starting with aluminium oxides for advanced lithium battery production.
Early Traction
Strong commercial interest in boehmite samples for separators, and a significant market shortage in high-purity alumina by 2028.
Short-Term Deliverables
Samples for potential customers, boehmite underway, and high-purity alumina next. IP assets, manufacturing planning and JV's targeted. Hydrogen byproduct study.
Key Ask
AUD $1M investment.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=aTXS2P0vheQgqzlE&t=458
Founder(s)
Mehrdad Parsa
Description
Better, cheaper, greener lithium battery cells through improved anode carbon coatings, a unique jobs &development opportunity for and from Victorian brown coal.
Early Traction
Samples received from customers for test coating, with signed MOU, EOI for commercialisation support. IGP grant offer received.
Short-Term Deliverables
We will refine our synthesis process and produce test samples for customers.
Key Ask
Seeking AUD $250K match for IGP grant.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=L1HPb8WGWNWfihEK&t=766
Founder(s)
Dylan Zhang
Description
Starting Australian lithium battery cell production at scale through intelligent OEM partnerships, creating the industry within which Australian lithium battery cell making IP can be more rapidly and effectively commercialised.
Early Traction
Our business model looks through current artificially low prices and can provide Australian lithium battery cells reliably and profitably with appropriate support, taking advantage of new US-Australian battery export potential.
Short-Term Deliverables
Pursue offtakes, confirm government support.
Key Ask
Investors and strategic partners, talented co-founders, and team.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=LzUbtsspi0yfcKy2&t=1112
Founder(s)
Justin Manton
Description
Large-scale lithium battery recycler, with proprietary lithium battery database-backed process to speed efficiency of reuse and disassembly decisions prior to black mass recycling.
Early Traction
We've partnered with domestic miners and large waste managers for feedstock and are building our automated processing facility.
Short-Term Deliverables
Bring its new facility to full production.
Key Ask
Customers and more feedstock.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=eQj8IEbcQe0Kt-lP&t=1419
Founder(s)
Fiona Bycroft
Description
High-performance inboard and outboard marine electric propulsion systems.
Early Traction
Released inboard MVP, test boat live, outboard in pre-sale.
Short-Term Deliverables
Complete $13m sales opportunities, commence mass manufacture.
Key Ask
AUD $5.2M investment.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=HG8zV9Mts6-X14iQ&t=1780
Net Zero Engineering Solutions
Founder(s)
Portia Rooney
Description
Accelerating V2G system adoption through an aggregated advice and sales platform.
Early Traction
We’ve signed two pilot clients in transport infrastructure and renewables.
Short-Term Deliverables
We aim to complete UX testing and MVP development in 4–6 months.
Key Ask
Investors for SAAS product.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=QeAxXASi22HmMAU8&t=2113
Founder(s)
Paul Monsted, George Tulloch
Description
Cutting critical low-frequency noise via industrial noise cancellation for more efficient and faster BESS siting and rollout
Early Traction
Pilot opportunities from major energy companies negotiated, international interest, over $90K in grants received.
Short-Term Deliverables
Pilot customers, targeting first sales within 18 months.
Key Ask
AUD $500K investment.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=DdodFf1u0gqnvpvD&t=2466
Founder(s)
Julie Leung, Rob Mortimer
Description
Beautiful, space-efficient and chemistry-agnostic lithium battery products for shared living spaces.
Early Traction
Grant applications in progress and pilots in discussion with UNSW. Patent pending.
Short-Term Deliverables
Proceed with pilot implementations.
Key Ask
Seeking integrators to deploy its solution.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=NMhtRQ-kreiNo88H&t=2763
Sustainable Lithium Cells Australia
Founder(s)
Andrew Chadwick
Description
Building large volume EV lithium battery reuse and repairing processes for anticipated industry adoption.
Early Traction
Saving recycling customers money, profitably built and sold portable solar trailers, and off-grid storage systems.
Short-Term Deliverables
More certifications to broaden the potential market for products; ongoing sales.
Key Ask
Seeking AUD $450K investment, introductions to feedstock suppliers.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=bOVnhkNNLOyNHNri&t=3051
Founder(s)
Amir Taheri, Omid Javadi
Description
3D-printed nanomaterial separators slashing production waste and increasing energy density for lithium battery cell manufacturing.
Early Traction
AUD $850K pre-seed round successfully oversubscribed.
Short-Term Deliverables
Achieving manufacturing production in Melbourne, growing team.
Key Ask
Pilot customers and future investors.
Link to pitch recording
https://youtu.be/6Ug1ZMhb9LY?si=y5xFhQS0Qy6xzHx4&t=3347
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