Fluxus Ventures is a global venture capital firm that backs innovators with demonstrable engineering solutions for smarter cities. We look for breakthrough scientific advances and ingenious technologies in the fields of energy systems, advanced materials, sensor networks and data analytics with applications to buildings and urban infrastructure.

Fluxus Ventures

Khosla Ventures invests in companies that are bold, early, and impactful. The firm was started in 2004 by Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, to provide venture assistance to entrepreneurs. Khosla Ventures invests in a range of areas including AI, climate, sustainability, enterprise, consumer, fintech, digital health, medtech and diagnostics, therapeutics, and frontier technology.

Khosla Ventures

Nabors owns and operates the world's largest land-based drilling rig fleet and is a leading provider of offshore platform workover and drilling rigs in the U.S. and multiple international markets. Nabors also provides innovative drilling technology, directional drilling operations and drilling instrumentation and software. Through its various subsidiaries, Nabors manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks and other drilling-related equipment which are installed on both onshore and offshore drilling rigs.

Nabors

Liberty Oilfield Services is an innovative oilfield service company providing specialized stimulation services to optimize well production.  We focus on offering safe, efficient and high-quality hydraulic fracturing and engineering services, aiming to become the vendor of choice. Our goal is to provide frac design and execution with a real-data focus to optimize field development and improve production enhancement strategies for our clients.

Liberty Oilfield Services

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,341 flights a day to more than 360 airports across six continents. In 2012, United and United Express carried more passenger traffic than any other airline in the world and operated nearly two million flights carrying 140 million customers. United is investing in upgrading its onboard products and now offers more flat-bed seats in its premium cabins and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any airline in North America. In 2013, United became the first U.S.-based international carrier to offer satellite-based Wi-Fi on long-haul overseas routes. The airline also features DIRECTV® on 200 aircraft, offering customers more live television access than any other airline in the world. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has made large-scale investments in its fleet. In 2013, United will continue to modernize its fleet by taking delivery of more than two dozen new Boeing aircraft. The company expanded its industry-leading global route network in 2012, launching nine new international and 18 new domestic routes. Business Traveler magazine awarded United Best Airline for North American Travel for 2012, and readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United’s MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for nine consecutive years. According to the 4th annual Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Survey published by IdeaWorksCompany in May 2013, United has the most saver-style award-seat availability among the largest U.S. global airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world.

United Airlines

+ND Capital (NanoDimension) is a venture capital firm founded in 2002 that invests in disruptive technologies across the life, physical, and data sciences.

+ND Capital

ABB Ventures, the business-led venture capital investment framework of ABB, looks for breakthrough technology companies aligned with ABB’s goal to write the future of industrial electrification and automation. Since its formation in 2009, ABB Ventures, formerly known as ABB Technology Ventures (ATV), has deployed around $500 million into startups spanning a range of sectors including robotics, industrial IoT, AI/machine learning, energy transition, cybersecurity, electric mobility, smart buildings, and distributed energy. For more information, visit www.abb.com/ventures Feel free to reach out to our business-led venture capital teams: • ABB Robotics & Automation Ventures (ABB RA Ventures) • ABB Electrification Ventures (ABB EL Ventures) • ABB Motion Ventures (ABB MO Ventures)

ABB Ventures

Volta is a new model for investing in energy technology. Volta identifies and works with entrepreneurs and companies to solve their most important technical challenges while providing its strategic investors the opportunity to invest in and acquire the most promising of these technology companies. Volta serves investors from across sectors of the energy system, who have complementary strategic interests in identifying breakthrough energy storage-related technology that will enable the ubiquitous adoption of both electric vehicles and renewable power generation. Volta works to validate transformative technologies and businesses through collaboration with leading institutions, including through its research agreement with Argonne National Laboratory. Volta’s focus is on technologies and businesses that impact applications in transportation, the electric grid, and portable electronics. Volta is designed to create strategic advantages for their corporate partners’ core businesses and deliver financial returns.

Volta Energy Technologies

Chevron Technology Ventures champions innovation, commercialization and integration of emerging technologies within Chevron.  Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) helps Chevron embrace emerging technologies to create new commercial opportunities, reduce costs and improve performance.  CTV serves as one of the company's most important technology ''scouts,'' always searching for emerging technologies that could enhance Chevron's strategies. CTV identifies, acquires, tests, validates, and, if appropriate, helps integrate those technologies into the company's core businesses. Alternatively, technologies may be studied then ''shelved'' for future consideration.

Chevron Technology Ventures

Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. Our goal is to help build the next generation of category-defining businesses.

Prelude Ventures

Natron Energy

Natron Energy is an energy storage company that develops sodium ion battery solutions leveraging Prussian Blue electrode materials. Natron’s battery products are based on a unique Prussian Blue chemistry and can integrate into a wide variety of energy storage applications, ranging from critical backup power systems to EV fast charging and behind-the-meter applications.

Natron Energy develops sodium-ion batteries using Prussian Blue chemistry as an alternative to lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. Natron claims that its battery solution is the first to not be lifetime-limited due to chemical factors. The company’s new cell technology is based on Prussian Blue analog electrodes and a sodium-ion electrolyte that charge and discharge by single-phase reactions within the stability window of the electrolyte. This eliminates the conversion reactions and electrolyte decomposition that limit the lifetime of lead-acid and lithium-ion cells. Natron’s battery technology can be used in mission-critical stationary applications such as data centers, electric forklifts, smart grids and microgrids, and renewable energy support systems.

Moving industry forward with next-gen advancements in energy storage and transmission

Alternative Energy

Natron Energy to build GW-scale sodium-ion battery factory in U.S.

Natron Energy develops sodium-ion batteries using Prussian Blue chemistry as an alternative to lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. Natron claims that its battery solution is the first to not be lifetime-limited due to chemical factors. The company’s new cell technology is based on Prussian Blue analog electrodes and a sodium-ion electrolyte that charge and discharge by single-phase reactions within the stability window of the electrolyte. This eliminates the conversion reactions and electrolyte decomposition that limit the lifetime of lead-acid and lithium-ion cells. Natron’s battery technology can be used in mission-critical stationary applications such as data centers, electric forklifts, smart grids and microgrids, and renewable energy support systems.In September 2020, Natron announced that its BlueTray 4000 rack-mounted battery pack would be commercially available for shipment. The BlueTray 4000 is an 8-kilowatt, 50-volt battery tray that can be used in data centers to manage peak compute load and provide critical backup power. Natron claims that BlueTray 4000 provides data center operators up to double the power density and 10 times the lifecycle compared to existing products.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13744">October 2022 </a>, Natron launched its Blue Rack battery cabinet in 250kW and 500kW configurations. This world's first sodium-ion battery cabinet can be used for data centers, peak power-shaving, and other industrial power environments.Funding and financialsThe company raised USD 189 million in January 2024 according to a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1567664/000156766424000001/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml">SEC filing</a>. In September 2020, Natron received a USD 20 million grant from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to expand commercial production of its battery pack to 18,000 trays per year.Natron raised USD 7 million in a strategic investment round led by Nabors Industries in July 2022. Previously the company raised USD 35 million in a July 2020 Series D round led by ABB Technology Ventures, NanoDimension, and Volta Energy Technologies. The funds were earmarked for increased product operations to meet market demand.

Canada-based Carbon Engineering (CE) specializes in Direct Air Capture (DAC) and air-to-fuel (ATF) technologies. ATF technology turns atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) DAC facilities into low-carbon fuels. The company’s pilot DAC plant in British Columbia captures one ton of CO2 per day. As of March 2024, CE is working with 1PointFive to commercialize its air-to-fuel processes.Key customers and partnershipsCE has partnered with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (the venture capital arm of the oil and gas company Occidental Petroleum) to build its first commercial DAC facility in Texas Permian Basin. The proposed facility will capture one million tons of CO2 per year. The construction of the plant is to be completed by 2024. CE has also begun engineering at its <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14178">second DAC facility</a> in Kleberg County, Texas to capture 30 million tons of CO2 per year. The site is expected to begin operations by late 2024. CE also has a partnership with Storegga Geotechnologies to deploy its DAC technology in the UK. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10949">June 2022</a>, CE extended its collaboration with 1PointFive to deploy DAC projects globally.CE allows customers to pre-purchase carbon removal quantities from its future projects. In March 2021, Shopify became CE’s first customer, having reserved 10,000 tons of carbon removals. CE has also partnered with BeZero (a British climate asset and liability management company) for a joint retail offering that allows customers to purchase carbon removals through BeZero’s website. In November 2021, CE also signed up BMO Financial Group, a Canadian financial service provider, as a new customer and plans to deliver 1,000 tons of carbon removal units.CE estimates the net cost of its DAC technology to be around USD 94–232 per ton. The net cost of capture from its proposed one-megaton commercial plant is expected to be “little less than USD 200 per ton”. The company has also reported that its net cost of capture needs to fall below USD 150 per ton for the technology to make commercial sense.In October 2021, Carbon Engineering also partnered with Huron Clean Energy (Canada), The Upper Nicola Band (Canada), and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures to develop a large-scale commercial ATF facility in British Columbia. The facility is expected to begin operations in 2026. In November 2021, the company partnered with Air Canada to explore sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) opportunities.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21044">August 2023</a>, Occidental Petroleum announced a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Carbon Engineering for USD 1.1 billion in cash. The deal was closed in <a href="https://www.blg.com/en/about-us/deals-and-suits/2023/11/occidental-petroleum-completes-us1-1-billion-acquisition-of-carbon-engineering-ltd#:~:text=On%20November%203%2C%202023%2C%20Occidental,equity%20of%20Carbon%20Engineering%20Ltd.">November 2023</a>.&nbsp;

Carbon Engineering

TAE Technologies is a next-generation renewable energy company focusing on fusion technology. The company’s technology attempts to fuse hydrogen and boron to produce light to generate heat for power generation. TAE aims to connect the first hydrogen-boron fusion power plant to the grid in the 2030s and expects to demonstrate net energy on its next research reactor Copernicus around mid-decade.TAE Technologies has obtained more than 1,400 patents and launched several spin-off technologies in sectors such as electric mobility, power management, and life sciences. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15971">January 2023</a>, formed a new subsidiary known as TAE Power Solutions. This subsidiary is developing a unique technology platform derived from fusion research to improve the reliability, efficiency, longevity, and affordability of electric-powered products, including EVs and renewable energy storage.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/6255">October 2021</a>, TAE Technologies partnered with the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), a Japanese research institute, to test hydrogen-boron (p-B11) fusion reactions. Furthermore, in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16848">March 2023</a>, TAW and NIFS carried out the world’s first hydrogen-boron fusion experiments in a magnetically confined fusion plasma.Since 2014, TAE Technologies has worked with Google to apply machine learning, data science, and advanced computations to jointly develop the Optometrist Algorithm to speed up experiments involving plasma, the core ingredient in a fusion reaction.Funding and financialsThe company’s most recent funding event was a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11710">July 2022</a> USD 250 million round led by Google. The company planned to use the funds to construct its research reactor “Copernicus.” Prior to this, in April 2021 TAE Technologies raised USD 280 million led by Google and New Enterprise Associates. Funds were expected to be used to further the company’s fusion experiments and to build a new reactor-scale facility.

TAE Technologies

Canada-based Enerkem converts waste into transportation fuels and chemicals. The company produces renewable methanol and ethanol from non-recyclable and compostable solid waste. Ethanol produced by Enerkem is used as a high octane oxygenate in gasoline to reduce its toxicity.Enerkem operated a pilot biofuel facility in Edmonton, Canada, which was capable of recycling upto 40,000 metric tons of waste, annually. As of January 2024, the facility has produced ~5 million liters of ethanol and methanol. As part of this project, Enerkem had a 25-year agreement with the city of Edmonton to recycle 100,000 dry metric tons of waste per year. In February 2024, the company reported plans to retire the facility and focus on the deployment and commercialization of its technology.Key customers and partnershipsEnerkem is developing a biofuel facility at Varennes (Canada) in partnership with Hydro-Quebec. The facility, which is set to come online in 2025, will couple Enerkem’s technology with a 90 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer system to produce 125 million liters of biofuels and circular chemicals from 200,000 metric tons of waste per year.Enerkem is also developing a facility in Tarragona, Spain in partnership with Repsol to manufacture 290 million liters of methanol from non-recyclable waste and residual biomass per year. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20773">July 2023</a>, Enerkem partnered with Dimeta to begin a feasibility study to examine the development of two large-scale projects to convert waste into renewable and recycled carbon dimethyl ether (DME). The projects are to be developed in Northwest Europe and in the Gulf Coast of the US, with each project expected to produce ~165,000 tons of DME annually from mixed residual waste.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20774">August 2023</a>, Enerkem partnered with Technip Energies where the latter agreed to contribute its expertise in engineering, technology integration, and project delivery to support projects developed by Enerkem.Funding and financialsEnerkem’s <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9646">most recent funding </a>event was an April 2022 CAD 255 million (USD 203 million) round led by Repsol. The funds were to be used to expand Enerkem’s geographical footprint in Europe and to scale up the deployments of its gasification technology.

Enerkem

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is an MIT spinoff that focuses on commercializing fusion energy using revolutionary high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets to build smaller and lower-cost tokamak fusion systems. The company aims to manufacture these magnets and is building ‘SPARC’, its net energy fusion machine with MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Following this, CFS plans to build a fusion power plant named ARC.In February 2023, CFS opened its new 50-acre campus in Massachusetts, US. This will contain the company’s corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturing facility, and the SPARC facility.Key customers and partnershipsIn July 2022, CFS signed a five-year Collaboration Framework Agreement with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to carry out a series of work projects to support the development of fusion energy. In March 2023, CFS signed a framework agreement with Eni to carry out a series of work projects to advance fusion energy.Funding and financialsIn August 2023, CFS was awarded three undisclosed grants by the US Department of Energy’s Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program to fund research and development projects with the University of California at Berkeley, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, and University of California at Los Angeles. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19658">May 2023</a>, CFS was one of eight companies to receive a total of USD 46 million from the US Department of Energy’s Milestone-based Fusion Development Program to advance design, research and development for fusion power plants.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7124">November 2021</a>, CFS raised USD 1.8 billion in a Series B funding round led by Tiger Global Management. The company planned to use the proceeds to build and operate SPARC and commence deployment of ARC.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

General Fusion aims to develop utility-scale fusion power using Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology. In December 2022, the company demonstrated plasma energy confinement times, plasma temperatures, and compression system performance that support its goal of meeting 100 million degrees Celsius in its MTF demonstration.&nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22691">August 2023</a>, General Fusion announced a new MTF machine known as “Lawson Machine 26” (LM26). The company intends to use the machine to achieve fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celcius (180 million degrees Fahrenheit) by 2025, and progress toward scientific breakeven by 2026. The LM26 is designed to validate the company’s ability to symmetrically compress magnetized plasmas in a repeatable manner and achieve fusion conditions at scale. It integrates the company's existing operational plasma injector with a new lithium liner compression system.Construction of General Fusion’s demonstration at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Culham Campus began in 2023 and is expected to be commissioned in 2026 and fully operational by early 2027.Key customers and partnershipsIn June 2021, General Fusion partnered with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to build and operate a fusion demonstration plant (FDP) at UKAEA’s Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, UK. In July 2021, General Fusion partnered with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, a nuclear technology laboratory managed by the Canadian National Energy Alliance, to develop tritium extraction technologies for fusion power.&nbsp;In February 2022, General Fusion, Bruce Power, and the Nuclear Innovation Institute partnered to accelerate the delivery of clean fusion power in Canada. In November 2022, the company partnered with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories again to carry out a series of joint projects to accelerate the deployment of commercial fusion power in Canada.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22653">October 2023,</a> General Fusion partnered with Kyoto Fusioneering to advance critical systems for MTF commercialization, including the tritium fuel cycle, the liquid metal balance of the plant, and the power conversion cycle. During the same <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23302">month</a>, General Fusion expanded its partnership with TRIUMF to design diagnostics that will advance the former’s technology and prove the performance of its MTF demonstration, LM26. In December 2023, the company partnered with the University of Lisbon to develop a key diagnostic for MTF technology.Funding and financials&nbsp;In March 2024, General Fusion and TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre, received a USD 800,000 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance grant. The companies intended to use the funds to advance technology to develop an ultra-fast neutron spectrometer system to measure plasma temperatures at fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24966">December 2023</a>, General Fusion received CAD 5 million (~USD 3.7 million) from the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). The company planned to invest the funds in the research and development of the company’s MTF demonstration, LM26. The company’s latest funding round was in August 2023, when it raised USD 25 million in the first close of its Series F funding round. Participants of the round included existing investors, BDC Capital, and GIC, as well as new grant funding from the government of British Columbia.In November 2021, the company raised USD 130 million led by Temasek. Previously, in January 2021, General Fusion raised an undisclosed amount from Thistledown Capital, a venture capital firm established by Shopify founder Tobias Lütke.

General Fusion

Companies that facilitate renewable energy generation through next-gen advances in conventional renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and hydro

Companies developing long-duration stationary energy storage technologies that are essential to match the intermittent supply of renewable sources with the inflexible demand for energy. Includes utility-scale, industrial, and residential stationary energy storage solutions

Companies that facilitate renewable energy generation through disruptive bioenergy technologies such as waste to energy (WTE) and advanced biofuels

Companies that facilitate renewable energy generation through disruptive technologies such as geothermal, fusion, wave, tidal, etc.

Provides next-gen renewable energy sources and energy storage for sustainable energy consumption

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 Natron Energy, a sodium-ion battery developer utilizing Prussian Blue chemistry, has started operations at its Holland, Michigan production facility, marking the inaugural commercial-scale manufacturing of sodium-ion batteries in the US.
 Converting lithium-ion battery production lines to manufacture sodium-ion batteries at the USD 300 million facility has required over USD 40 million investment from the company. The ARPA-E also contributed USD 19.8 million in funding through the SCALEUP program to assist this project.
 With the facility running at full capacity, it's projected to manufacture 600 MW of sodium-ion batteries annually with plans to commence battery shipments in June 2024. Natron Energy’s initial focus will be addressing the energy storage requirements of data center clients.
 
</div>

Natron Energy

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