Companies will have access to state-of-the-art resources and facilities in the nation’s federally designated battery Tech Hub

BINGHAMTON, N.Y., April 3, 2025 – Binghamton University, the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator and New Energy New York (NENY) today announced the seven companies selected to participate in the second cohort of the ChargeUp Accelerator — the nation’s first and only accelerator dedicated to supporting battery and energy storage startups. 

ChargeUp helps startups working on battery innovations advance their technology development and get ready for investment. Over 140 applications were received for the program. Finalists were selected through a rigorous review process and pitching competition and evaluated by a panel of technical and business experts. 

Seven companies were selected to join the cohort and will receive $25,000, one-on-one mentorship from leading technical experts, connections to investors and manufacturing opportunities, access to world-class lab and facilities infrastructure, and opportunities for follow-on investment, including up to $100,000 for technical development. 

The ChargeUp Accelerator 2025 Cohort includes: 

• Amel Energy – Removing toxic solvents and forever chemicals from cathode production in the battery manufacturing process.
• Cellec Technology, inc. – Using a 100% American-based supply chain to improve lithium balancing in any lithium-ion cell chemistry, achieving even greater energy density and performance. 
• Coulomb Technology – Innovating multiple energy storage technologies from sodium to zinc to solid state batteries by using earth-abundant materials. 
• FastLion Energy, Inc. – Speeding up the charging capabilities for cells while setting new standards of temperature control within batteries.
• LiBAMA Power – Solving the decades-old problem of lithium dendrite deposits by developing the patented Advance Metal Anodes for lithium metal batteries, guiding extra ions away from battery separators.
• Valgotech – Innovating lithium-sulfur batteries with superior safety, performance and sustainability for industries like aerospace, defense and electric vehicles, without the use of toxic NMP solvents. 
• vsNew – Developing a universal, reliable tool to create comprehensive battery health reports for any used electric vehicle in just two minutes.

“The ChargeUp Accelerator Program has brought together seven high-potential start-ups at a pivotal stage to enhance their investability and manufacturing readiness in the battery and energy storage sector,” said Bandhana Katoch, associate vice president of innovation and economic development at Binghamton University. “Beyond gaining access to a world-class network of experts and mentors, this cohort will engage with key stakeholders across New York State, exploring strategic partnerships, site development and workforce expansion. By fostering novel energy storage technologies, we are strengthening New York’s leadership in the clean energy revolution and positioning the region as a hub for innovation and economic growth.”

The initiative is part of a $4.5 million grant awarded to NextCorps and Binghamton University from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF-2334103) to test a replicable model for better supporting the needs of early-stage, deep-tech businesses, improving the commercialization of new innovations, and strengthening economic development within region-specific technology hubs across the U.S. A pilot of the ChargeUp accelerator took place in 2024 with four startups.

The seven-month program is based on curriculum and learnings from two of NextCorps’ proven accelerators: Luminate, the world’s largest accelerator for startups developing technologies enabled by optics, photonics and imaging, and the Manufacturing Accelerator, which helps early-stage companies reduce the risk, waste and cost associated with getting hardware from prototype to mass production. The methodology used by both programs leverages university, community and industrial involvement to guide and speed the delivery of emerging technologies. 

ChargeUp will follow a similar format and will be run by Binghamton University’s Koffman Southern Tier Incubator under the NENY initiative. During the seven-month intensive program (April–October 2025), founders and their teams will receive over 200 hours of curriculum focused on mastering business due diligence, design for manufacturing, complex supply chains, product pricing and other topics. The program will also focus on integrating participants within the region’s rapidly growing battery industry cluster enabled by NENY — which has been federally designated as a battery innovation Tech Hub by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) — and driven by New York State’s efforts to pioneer critical energy storage technologies. The curriculum, along with customized events to foster relationships with potential client and regional stakeholders, ensures company growth by bringing emerging technologies to market and making them investment-ready.

For more information on ChargeUp, visit https://newenergynewyork.com/programs/chargeup-accelerator/.

For more information about Binghamton University’s Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, visit thekoffman.com.

For more information on NextCorps, Luminate and the Manufacturing Accelerator, visit nextcorps.org.

For more information about Binghamton’s New Energy New York initiative, go to newenergynewyork.com.

For more information about NSF grants, visit nsf.gov.

Media Contact
Kari Bayait, Communications Manager for New Energy New York
Research Advancement | Binghamton University
kbayait@binghamton.edu | 607-777-6124

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