Li-ion Startup ActaCell To Receive Up to $1M Through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund
10 November 2009
ActaCell, a Li-ion battery spin-off from the University of Texas at Austin, was selected by the state of Texas, through the Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Central Texas Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (CenTex RCIC), to be awarded investment by the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF).
The ETF selection means a $250,000 pre-seed award of a reserved amount up to $1 million. This investment is combined with Series A funding of $5.8 million received a year ago from groups such as Google.org and DJF Mercury. (Earlier post.) All investments fuel ActaCell to continue its momentum toward commercialization of its Li-Ion technology.
ActaCell, Inc. is commercializing lithium-ion battery technology developed in Professor Arumugam Manthiram’s Material Science and Engineering lab at The University of Texas at Austin. In conjunction with the university, ActaCell has created a manganese spinel formulation that helps solve the capacity fade problem commonly encountered with this battery chemistry. The resulting cells are to incorporate safe operation, low cost, long cycle life and high power performance.
Recent ActaCell technical momentum includes the build out of a 425 square foot dry room for production and continued work on pilot line manufacturing progress toward production. Already, ActaCell has beaten company technical milestone targets by more than 200% through work with an industry partner to scale up manufacture of its proprietary Li-Ion chemistry.
This physical infrastructure and development progress validates the commercial viability of the ActaCell process and cost structure, the company says, while also allowing it to continue on its next phase of building and testing complete cells and modules/packs in target application areas such as HEV and PHEV.
On the management side, Don Runkle recently joined the ActaCell advisory board. Runkle is currently CEO of EcoMotors International (earlier post), Chairman of EaglePicher Corporation and an operating executive with Tennenbaum Capital Partners. He was a Vice President & General Manager of the Energy & Engine Mgmt Division of General Motors where he provided oversight for such activities as the establishment of the US Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) and for development of the EV1. Runkle also was part of the GM management team that formed parts supplier Delphi, serving as Vice Chairman and CTO.
Growing a domestic battery industry is a major, positive challenge to NA innovators and business. The birth of these new energy industries is effectively the tangent to the information industry. The two go hand in hand. If you consider an HEV as the base level product - it is comprised of an amalgam of IT and industrial/mechanical engineering.
How does domestic industry work within a global framework? It is the real-world application of the "Think global, act local," campaign. By growing domestic (local) industry and markets, but thinking about global applications, we encourage both ideas. Big government, central planning is a hopelessly old-fashioned, outdated concept whose time was over last century.
Think global, act local - is a way to combine global reach and trading partnerships - while preserving sovereign autocracy. Perfect world? No. But better by far than trying to administer the huge, diverse human family with one global government. You can be damned sure that sovereign nations will not give up their hard one sovereignty without a hellacious fight.
THINK global. Act local. Good campaign.
Posted by: sulleny | 10 November 2009 at 12:02 PM
Defending your patents, in a worldwide future market, may require an effective specialized World Pattent Rights Court, with broad effective sanction powers. Otherwise, what took you years to develop will be copied and produced and sold at much look price in many countries.
USA has always been against World Courts. A change of mind is required. To act globally may be essential in some areas.
Posted by: HarveyD | 13 November 2009 at 09:57 AM