On Starting A Battery Manufacturing Business
My name is Dr. Rajan Kumar and I am the CEO and founder of Ocella Inc. dba Ateios. Ateios is a battery manufacturing company with a unique battery curing process using light as opposed to heat. We produce customizable, flexible batteries in a variety of shapes and power capacities. Because of our innovative process and unique slurry, Ateios can produce batteries 10x faster, 10x cheaper, and 10x safer than the current battery process.
Currently, Ateios has two products: Enercalm and Enerthin. Both are pouch cell batteries created with our unique slurry that provides better performance than the leading competitor.
Enercalm has primary battery chemistry and was released to the market in November of 2021. Enerthin has a rechargeable battery chemistry. Enerthin is currently not widely available to the general market, but special orders can be made.
When I started Ateios, we had no product to bring to market and had a team of 2. Now we have two products for the market and a team of 9.
Most of our customers are manufacturers in the medical device and e-textile market. And we have one customer who works with smart devices. We are targeting what's called the Internet of Things but we are currently focused on small smart devices.
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
While Ateios is currently a battery manufacturing company, it took us a while to get there. Initially, I was planning on just being a "child" company to another corporation most of my validation just came from speaking to that parent company. When I decided to start my own company I went through the NSF I-Corp program and the Venture Well program to do market research and gain the skills and information needed to start my tech startup.
Ateios was supposed to be a flexible battery company with unique chemistry and usage. But after a lot of market research and speaking to potential customers, a glaring problem became apparent. While the market was excited about the possibility of a flexible battery, there was a general concern about how such a battery would be produced.
It became clear that the current battery manufacturing process could not sustain my chemistry or vision of a product. So, the only thing to do was to change the battery manufacturing process. And that is how Ateios became a battery manufacturing company.
When I first had the idea to create a company, I had just created the world’s first printable stretchable battery by making a conductive ink during my PhD program. The creation of this conductive ink is what first got me interested in batteries.
The most natural application for it would be e-textiles, but unfortunately, due to the explosive nature of lithium, the current battery chemistry wouldn’t work. This problem started my research into battery chemistry using Zinc.
This challenge led me to approach my first customer. At the time, I was still working on my PhD and planned to help run a partnership between my school and the customer using my chemistry. The hope was to create a “child” company, under the customer, that I would run. Unfortunately, due to some creative differences between myself and my professor, and some legal issues with the school, this partnership was never meant to be.
Luckily, due to the buzz generated by my chemistry and conductive ink, it was very clear that I had something special.
However, we still needed to finance our operations. Luckily, I had some savings and We entered various business competitions for funding, as well as, applied for various grants to get started. We were also able to rent lab space and equipment from the school while I was completing my PhD.
With some hard work and funding, I knew that I could turn it into a product and successful company. That is how Ocella was founded in 2017 (named after a phenomenon that happens in butterfly wings).
The name change came in 2018 when I realized my true goal for Ocella. At first, I just wanted to make a printable, flexible battery with zinc chemistry. But after about a year of study, I realized that what I wanted was to create a plethora of products and possibilities with my battery chemistry (creating “a tech oasis”). That is how the name Ateios was born.
Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.
Enercalm was our first official product, which launched in November 2021. Since starting the company in 2017, a lot had to change before we even considered launching a product.
One of the main things that changed was switching from coin cell batteries to pouch cell batteries. When I first founded Ateios, coin cell batteries were all the rage. But after a few years and research, it became clear that pouch cell batteries were more powerful and longer-lasting. This discovery led us to change our chemistry to better enable pouch cell batteries.
Changing our chemistry was probably the most difficult part. There are a lot of materials that could be used to make a battery but finding the best mixture is difficult. It was especially challenging for us because we could not focus all our time on R&D. We also didn’t have a battery expert on our team, which put us at a severe disadvantage.
We made our products in-house by developing our anode and cathode that we dried and then cut into the desired shape. This was then placed into the battery shell with electrolyte and sealed. Since the batteries would be in devices it didn't matter what they looked like from a marketing standpoint. If the batteries were made by a specific customer, they would give specifics for shape and thickness. As for our two products, we just picked the market standard but customers can still customize them as needed. It's more about the chemistry than the look.
We turned to lead experts and scientific papers to see what other people were trying to help narrow down our choices. Luckily, we were able to quickly find a few chemistries and selected an option that worked best.
From there, the design process was simple. Since we offer customizable batteries in any shape, the initial design didn’t need to be special. We created a simple pouch design with a prominent logo. Since these batteries go inside a product, the logo placement was just for show.
This design allowed us to create sample batteries for customers to test and “dud” batteries for anyone to touch and handle to see if the battery does flex (allowing them to visualize the possibilities).
Describe the process of launching the business.
Because of my unique start in launching Ateios, I can’t say for sure what process I went through in launching the business. I first started in a program my school created to help PhD students start their businesses. This allowed us lab and meeting space.
Through SBIR and other grant funding, we were able to maintain our research until I graduated. After that, I joined The Heritage Group Accelerator (powered by TechStars) in Indianapolis. This allowed me to hone my business skills and work on my market research while being introduced to potential investors. After that, it was raising a seed round while incubating at the Battery Innovation Center. This, of course, was during the pandemic, which threw everything off.
Don’t aspire to be anyone but the greatest version of yourself. Growing up we’ve all heard the miracle stories of the founders of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, etc. Those people are not you, so you should not expect the same journey as them.
While I didn’t have a traditional start in my business, I am happy with my journey. Because it started in academia, I was able to get a lot of grants and buzz through school-based organizations.
Joining The Heritage Group Accelerator (powered by TechStars) not only introduced me to the fast track of getting funded but also introduced me to the secret world of battery manufacturing hidden in Indiana. If it wasn’t for the Battery Innovation Center, I don’t think the company would have lasted.
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
Since launching Ocella we’ve had one main customer who has stayed with us since the beginning. I believe we were able to retain this customer through a personal connection. A lot of times when you are building a business and a product, customers not only believe in what you can do for them, but they also believe in you. This belief and communication allowed the company to stay with us through all of our ups and downs and they are still with Ateios today.
Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you. When building a business most people focus on their advisory board because that is where investors look.
Because we took off during the pandemic the usual channels of getting a buzz or customers were closed to us. I believe strategic partnerships with larger labs that spoke about us and attended conferences, virtual or in-person, really helped spread the word about what the company was capable of.
While we are still only getting customized battery customers, as opposed to our specific products, any buzz is good buzz, and any sale is a good sale. We’re hoping that once purchase orders begin coming in we’ll be able to ramp up production on our products to make them easier to sell.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
Today we are working harder than ever, creating samples and prototypes for customers, perfecting our chemistry and trying new designs, and general upkeep that happens when running a business.
We are still located at the Battery Innovation Center but we’re hoping to open our factory this year. With our factory, we will be able to ramp up production while saving money and manpower. It will be a difficult task, but I believe we are ready for it.
We are also working on making our batteries shippable. Right now, everything is created in the United States which is great for marketing but not so great for international customers.
One of the biggest pain points in battery production is the fact that lithium-ion batteries cannot be shipped via plane. We believe we have found the solution to that which will hopefully allow us to expand production and our customer range.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
When we got up and running, we were using:
- Slack
- Asana
Just this week we are trying out Microsoft Teams. We’re hoping that this will be a more secure, cost-effective, and easier way to have meetings.
ClickUp as our organization tool. It’s been a lot of work to get it up and running the way we need it, but the goal is once it’s done, it will help streamline a lot of our processes. Crowdfire for social media
Penji for marketing. Crowdfire allows me to create various posts that they spread through all of our social media channels and Penji is a group of freelance web and graphic designers who can create any sort of media you request. We use Penji a lot in creating collateral for conferences.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
I always listen to business or political podcasts, and I try to read books on business or public speaking. But off the top of my head, I would say the two most influential books for me and my business have been Shoe Dogs by Phil Knight and The Everything Store by Brad Stone. Hearing how other companies struggled, revamped, and came up with new ideas allowed me to see that my struggles were not unique. These books also gave me advice on leading a team, product development, and maintaining a personal life while starting a business.
I found myself comparing myself to other CEOs currently in the tech industry. Trust me, it’s not helpful. Focus on yourself and your work. The rest will come.
The other genuinely influential thing I watch is the HBO show Silicon Valley. I know it’s a bit weird, but I would say that Silicon Valley, while being a comedy, probably has the best representation of what it’s like to start a tech business in this day and age. Whenever I need a pick me up or feel stuck, I watch Silicon Valley. Sometimes it’s just for a laugh, and other times it's to see that I’m not alone in my struggle, even for an hour.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
You are going to get a lot of conflicting advice on what to do. The main thing you need to remember is to have faith in your product or idea and the numbers to back it up. The market is always fluctuating, for the number of people you find saying they love your product and would buy, you’ll hear the same number saying that they don’t see the reason for it. Trust your product.
Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you. When building a business most people focus on their advisory board because that is where investors look. They want to see you are working with experienced people. All of that is true and good but advisors don’t make the company. You and your team do.
Make sure you are not only hiring qualified people but that you are listening to them. There have been many times I have had an idea that I thought was good and turns out it wasn’t. The reason I learned that was because my team told me. You don’t want “yes” men. You want people with ideas and the same passion as you.
Do as much research as you possibly can before launching. I know given certain circumstances that can be difficult, but if you have the time and money focus on research. The reason Ateios went through so many changes in its first years was that I didn’t have time to do the scientific and market research required for it. While I wouldn’t trade my journey for anything, my life would have been a lot easier if I had done the research first before just launching a product and company.
Finally, don’t aspire to be anyone but the greatest version of yourself. Growing up we’ve all heard the miracle stories of the founders of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, etc. Those people are not you, so you should not expect the same journey as them. Every company grows and expands differently, and while it’s smart to take advice and learn from others, you have to remember that this is your company, not someone else’s. When I first started out, I found myself comparing myself to other CEOs currently in the tech industry. Trust me, it’s not helpful. Focus on yourself and your work. The rest will come.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
We are always looking for people who have battery manufacturing or battery chemistry experience. But we are currently looking for:
- A salesperson with an engineering background,
- A battery engineer,
- A process engineer,
- An office manager, and
- A battery technician.
If interested in any of these positions you go to this link or by email: [email protected].
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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