Founded in 2021, Quino Energy is commercializing flow batteries that store electricity in organic quinone molecules, offering a safer, lower-cost alternative to lithium-ion and vanadium systems for mid- to long-duration and multi-cycle applications. Its mildly alkaline, chloride-free electrolyte can be produced through a zero-waste continuous-flow process from inexpensive coal-tar feedstocks and is backward-compatible with existing vanadium flow battery hardware as well as standard carbon-steel storage tanks. The company expects to achieve costs at roughly one-quarter those of vanadium electrolytes at gigawatt-hour scale. Proceeds will fund a new electrolyte factory aimed at scaling production beyond the United States and supporting real-world pilot deployments. Earlier in 2025, Quino secured a $10 M California Energy Commission grant and $5 M from the U.S. DOE CiFER program to support a 5 MWh Southern California installation, and it has also received DOE AMMTO funding for a pilot production line in Buffalo, NY. A June 2025 strategic agreement with TerraFlow Energy is advancing large-format flow battery solutions based on Quino’s chemistries. The company’s technology originated from breakthroughs at Harvard University that Quino has exclusively licensed.

Total raised

$11M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Nov 2025