Batteries are central to the transition to electric vehicles, but they can also come with issues that can stall consumer adoption. For instance, EV batteries have a limited range of distance. It takes longer to charge them than it takes to fill up a gas tank. And they can sometimes be compromised by cold winter weather.

MITO, based in Indianapolis, Ind., has developed a technology that can address these issues by incorporating functionalized graphene into the materials used to manufacture batteries and related parts. The process of functionalizing graphene involves adding other elements to it to make it work better — and calculating just the right amount to add to other materials so it does the job that different users need it to do. The technology can make batteries perform better by many metrics, according to the company’s co-founders, husband-and-wife team CEO Haley Marie Keith and CTO Kevin Keith.

“We’re on a precipice of redefining the potential of graphene,” says Haley Marie Keith. “It’s more than just an additive; it can deliver new functionality for many materials that can help engineers do more with less.”

One of the aspects graphene can improve is electrical conductivity.

“Our functionalized graphene can enhance charging density of a battery and improve performance at lower temperatures. The addition of complementary chemistry to graphene, which has high thermal and electrical conductivity, allows us to create complex structures that can offer multitudes of benefits,” says President and COO, Mahdi Ghazizadeh.

Looking to make business connections

MITO knew its technology would benefit EV batteries, but the team didn’t have any professional networking in place to help them connect with the EV or battery industries.

“When we joined ChargeUp, the battery industry was just one of several verticals we could go into. We needed to focus and get some momentum behind it — to define the market and get a proper plan in place,” Ghazizadeh says.

ChargeUp brought together the necessary resources for MITO to zero in on the EV battery market.

“ChargeUp has resources, testing labs and the connections we needed in order to expand our capabilities in the EV market and beyond,” Ghazizadeh says.

ChargeUp also helped provide greater insight and perspective to MITO, with access to academic facilities and experts who could share their understanding of where the industry is headed.

“We had a chance to learn from industry experts how things are going to shake out in the U.S. and where the challenges are in manufacturing,” Ghazizadeh says.

Ready for high gear

Now that MITO has wrapped up the roughly half year it’s spent in the ChargeUp program, it’s leaving far better equipped to seize opportunities in various battery markets.

“We’re fully positioned to go after the battery vertical now, whereas earlier this year, we were looking at it but didn’t have any knowledge about,” Ghazizadeh says.

Looking at the next six months ahead, MITO plans on investing in New York alongside fellow partners from its ChargeUp cohort.

 “Next, we’ll be looking into the sports industry on the composite site as we deliver improved performance for sports equipment. Mahdi will continue to explore the battery opportunity,” Haley Marie Keith says.

Among the many different possibilities the company is chasing, MITO and Georgia-based Avery Dennison are collaborating on an adhesive for EV batteries that will lead to a lighter, more durable product.

“We not only make polymers stronger, tougher and lighter; we can improve the conducting ability of materials. So, our technology could be part of many different materials in EVs,” Keith says.

For a sustainability initiative, MITO is also working with industries that transform raw waste into graphene.

Get to know ChargeUp, MITO team says

ChargeUp offers important membership to startups challenging the status quo, according to Haley Marie Keith.

“You’re meant to be a contrarian in your market, but you don’t want to be a contrarian when you’re a mentee,” she says.

Overall, the MITO folks have been so impressed with their experience at ChargeUp, they’d recommend it to their peers.

“It’s a very good program with great people,” Ghazizadeh says. “The program not only has the tools and resources you need—it offers live feedback. You can achieve so much in such a short time with this program that you couldn’t do on your own. You can walk alone, or you can run with ChargeUp.”