Holyvolt, a Swedish battery expertise agency, has accomplished the acquisition of California-based battery supplies growth firm Wildcat Discovery Technologies in a €63.1 million (£73 million) deal composed of money, fairness, and deferred milestone-based funds.
The mixture creates a bunch with end-to-end functionality from molecular discovery to pilot-scale manufacturing utilizing a totally built-in Excessive Throughput Platform. This integration goals to remove the bottlenecks which have historically separated laboratory breakthroughs from business actuality.
“The acquisition of Wildcat is an ideal complement to our supposed technique of growing new applied sciences for the battery business. Holyvolt is targeted on growing new processes to make batteries cleaner and extra inexpensive, and Wildcat has been pursuing the identical objectives by way of supplies growth and higher chemistry. Mixed, we’re constructing what we consider is probably the most compelling expertise to ship on these goals,” stated Mathias Ingvarsson, founder & CEO, Holyvolt.
Based in 2022, Holyvolt develops and commercialises modern vitality manufacturing and storage merchandise. Its precision display printing and high-throughput materials discovery platform allow the manufacturing of high-performance batteries and photo voltaic cells at decrease price and with diminished environmental influence, whereas supporting native, unbiased provide chains and manufacturing. The announcement follows Holyvolt’s latest €20 million funding spherical.
Based in 2006, Wildcat Discovery Know-how helps clients obtain improved supplies and the very best built-in battery cell. Working with Wildcat, clients acquire entry to a “drug discovery-inspired” high-throughput R&D platform; novel electrolyte, anode, and cathode supplies; high-quality cell manufacturing capability of as much as 20 Ah; and a pilot manufacturing line able to manufacturing cathode powders at 100 kg scale. Wildcat plans to fabricate a portfolio of nickel- and cobalt-free cathodes in the US.
In response to Wildcat, its proprietary Excessive Throughput Platform (HTP) concurrently synthesises and screens hundreds of supplies combos, figuring out optimum materials methods as much as 10 instances sooner than typical R&D strategies.
The US-based firm notes that its high-throughput platform is designed to generate terabyte-scale, structured supplies datasets that allow the mixing of machine studying and AI into battery materials discovery. Going ahead, this functionality will speed up optimisation cycles and considerably improve the velocity and effectiveness of supplies growth.
“In 2025 – it felt just like the West gave up. Battery vegetation had been cancelled. Funding dried up and OEMs pulled again on off-takes. The US has blocked Chinese language imports however they haven’t any home different – in order that they discover different methods to import. We are able to’t construct a secure, sustainable society with out entry to batteries. Everybody is aware of that low-cost, low-carbon vitality requires batteries. AI is driving an unprecedented surge in electrical energy demand and information centre infrastructure, making dependable vitality storage extra crucial than ever. Automation and sustainable transportation is electrical and western automakers danger being area of interest gamers. Trendy warfare is turning into electrical,” Holyvolt talked about within the press launch.
In response to the Swedish firm, this acquisition gives the important instruments to provide the West a preventing likelihood.
The mixed entity brings collectively Holyvolt’s course of expertise based mostly on screen-printing and water-based processes, with Wildcat’s proprietary Excessive Throughput Platform (HTP), which might rapidly generate terabyte-scale structured datasets by means of combinatorial experimentation. These datasets are primed for AI-driven evaluation and accelerated studying.
Holyvolt’s water-based manufacturing course of and Wildcat’s trendy supplies work collectively to provide cleaner, less expensive batteries with decrease capital wants and provide chains centred in Europe and North America. Further enhancements in efficiency and value financial savings will be achieved by means of Wildcat’s cobalt- and nickel-free supplies.
The joint entity will act as a expertise growth accomplice for companions and clients all through your entire battery provide chain, providing commercialisation fashions equivalent to licensing preparations which can be customised to satisfy every buyer’s particular wants.
“The Wildcat crew is thrilled with this acquisition by Holyvolt. Mathias and crew are very considerate with regard to their goals within the battery business, and recognise the worth that Wildcat’s Excessive Throughput Platform can ship to our mixed firm and the business at giant. With Holyvolt’s imaginative and prescient and monetary backing, Wildcat can lastly unlock the true potential of excessive throughput combinatorial chemistry for battery supplies,” stated Mark Gresser, President and CEO, Wildcat Discovery Applied sciences.
