• Infinitum

  Participated · Series E · Nov 2023

  Infinitum designs patented air-core, axial-flux motors that are lighter, smaller, and more efficient than traditional motors, targeting applications including mission-critical data centers, commercial HVAC, pumps, and industrial equipment. The company’s motors rely on high-powered printed circuit board (HP-PCB) stators, which it says are central to its efficiency and light weight. Infinitum has more than 100 pending or issued patents and has developed a manufacturing approach that reduces copper usage and waste. The company was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains to negotiate funding to accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing. Infinitum plans to establish an HP-PCB stator manufacturing facility expected to be located in Rockdale, Texas, which the company says could create up to 170 operating jobs and 125 construction jobs. The project and facility aim to strengthen U.S. supply chains for critical components that are currently produced largely overseas. Infinitum develops patented air-core motor systems that aim to sustainably power energy-intensive applications in data centers, hospitals, buildings, logistics, manufacturing and industrial facilities. Its motors consume 10–65% less energy than traditional motors, are about 50% smaller and lighter, and use 66% less copper. Infinitum motor systems include an integrated variable frequency drive and can be customized for specific power and torque requirements; their modular design enables servicing, repair, remanufacturing and recycling. The company cites U.S. Department of Energy estimates that implementing advanced motor technology in U.S. industrial and commercial sectors could save 127 TWh/yr, $14.7 billion, and reduce 90.2 MMT of CO2. Infinitum is based in Austin, Texas and is led by founder and CEO Ben Schuler. The company said it will use new funding to scale production, meet customer demand and accelerate decarbonization. Infinitum develops patented air-core motors that replace iron-core, copper-wound stators with a lightweight printed circuit board stator and a built-in variable frequency drive. Its motors are roughly 50% smaller and lighter, use 66% less copper, have no iron in the stator, and consume about 10% less energy than traditional motors. The printed circuit board stator is described as 10x more reliable, and the motor’s modular design enables component reuse while manufacturing and servicing are less carbon intensive. Infinitum positions its product to enable variable-speed operation across industrial applications (compressors, pumps, fans, material handling) to cut energy use and emissions. The company is partnering with Rockwell Automation to develop a motor and low-voltage drive solution to be distributed through Rockwell’s channels. Infinitum is based in Austin, Texas and intends to scale production to meet customer demand and drive industrial decarbonization. Infinitum produces a patented air-core motor that is 50% smaller and lighter, uses 66% less copper, contains no iron, and consumes about 10% less energy than conventional motors. Its motors are modular by design, allowing housings, rotors, and stators to be reused multiple times and extending service life beyond typical 10–20 year motor lifetimes. The company recently rebranded as Infinitum and is renaming product lines (IEs to Aircore EC, IEm to Aircore Mobility, and IEalt to Aircore Power Gen) as it pushes commercialization. Infinitum is based in Austin, Texas and operates a 65,000 square foot production facility in Mexico. The company plans to expand and fully automate assembly at that Mexico facility to meet a significant increase in demand. Leadership says the goal is to scale production this year and next while advancing decarbonization and circularity in industrial, commercial, and mobility applications. Infinitum Electric designs and manufactures patented air-core motor systems that replace heavy iron with printed circuit boards to deliver comparable power at half the size and weight and lower noise and carbon footprint. Its integrated motor systems include motor, variable frequency drive (VFD) and embedded IoT in a single compact package, and the motors are reported to be about 10% more efficient than conventional motors. Since launching its IEs Series in 2020 the company has secured customer agreements representing more than $900 million in potential orders across heavy industry, manufacturing, HVAC and transportation. The company plans to vertically integrate and automate production, complete development and commercialization of a traction motor for the electric-vehicle market, and expand high-volume production out of its facility in Tijuana, Mexico. Infinitum moved its headquarters to a larger facility in Round Rock, Texas, and said it will double its U.S. workforce in 2022 with an additional 50 employees across Round Rock and Spokane, Washington. The company is based in Austin, Texas and has positioned its technology to address large-scale electrification and decarbonization opportunities.

• Ascend Elements

  Participated · Equity · Sep 2023

  Ascend Elements commercializes an ultra‑efficient Hydro‑to‑Cathode process to produce sustainable pCAM and CAM from black mass recovered from recycled lithium‑ion batteries. The company is building Apex 1, a 1‑million‑square‑foot facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, slated to open in early 2025, which is expected to produce materials sufficient for up to 750,000 electric vehicles per year. Ascend’s process eliminates intermediary steps in traditional cathode manufacturing, yielding economic and carbon‑reduction benefits, and peer‑reviewed studies show recycled materials perform comparably to those from mined sources. The Apex 1 project is partly supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Financially, Ascend announced $162 million in new equity financing as part of a Series D, bringing its 12‑month funding total to $704 million following a $542 million round in September 2023. Goldman Sachs served as sole placement agent for the Series D round. Ascend Elements develops sustainable, closed-loop lithium-ion battery materials, including recycled battery feedstock, precursor cathode active material (pCAM) and cathode active materials (CAM). Its proprietary Hydro-to-Cathode® direct precursor synthesis technology produces new pCAM from spent lithium-ion cells, aiming to reduce cost, improve performance, and lower GHG emissions. The company has signed commercial-scale supply contracts (including a $1 billion pCAM contract starting Q4 2024 with options up to $5 billion) and is building its Apex 1 facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Apex 1 is planned as a 1-million-square-foot plant on a 140-acre site, targeting enough sustainable pCAM for 750,000 electric vehicles per year when complete. Ascend has also secured two U.S. Department of Energy grants totaling $480 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Led by CEO Mike O’Kronley, the company is scaling from EV battery recycling through commercial pCAM and CAM production. Ascend Elements develops engineered materials and lithium-ion battery recycling processes, including commercial-scale production of lithium-ion battery precursor (pCAM) and cathode active materials (CAM). Its proprietary Hydro-to-Cathode direct precursor synthesis technology produces new CAM from spent lithium-ion cells, aiming to reduce cost, improve performance, and lower GHG emissions. The company intends to accelerate commercialization of that process and scale production to serve EV supply chains. Ascend has disclosed plans to invest up to $1 billion to build the Apex 1 facility in Hopkinsville, Ky., which is expected to produce enough pCAM and CAM to equip up to 250,000 electric vehicles per year. Financially, the company recently raised $300 million in equity and debt (including $200 million in Series C equity) and has two Department of Energy grants totaling $480 million. Led by CEO Mike O’Kronley, Ascend positions itself as a provider of sustainable, closed-loop battery materials solutions from EV battery recycling to commercial-scale cathode manufacturing. Ascend Elements develops Hydro-to-Cathode™ direct precursor synthesis technology to produce cathode active materials from spent lithium-ion cells. The process is presented as more efficient than traditional methods, offering reduced cost, improved performance, and lowered greenhouse gas emissions. The company is led by CEO Mike O’Kronley and is based in Westborough, MA. Ascend plans significant manufacturing and recycling capacity expansions, including a multi‑phase investment of up to $1 billion to build a facility called “Apex 1” in Hopkinsville, Ky. Apex 1 is expected to produce enough precursor and sustainable cathode active material to equip up to 250,000 electric vehicles per year. Ascend is also opening a battery recycling facility, “Base 1,” in Covington, Ga, which when fully operational in Q4 2022 will recycle more than 30,000 metric tons of used batteries and manufacturing scrap per year.

No current team members are available.