11 New York companies win vouchers through NENY program

Startups get assistance with technology development, testing, prototyping

Binghamton University, Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships Dec. 11 2024 – New Energy New York (NENY), led by Binghamton University in partnership with the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST), has selected 11 companies for the second round of the NENY Technical Assistance Voucher Program. The program advances new battery technologies and expands the energy storage innovation ecosystem in upstate New York by supporting startups and small businesses in their efforts to de-risk technology, scale and advance manufacturing readiness.

Female and male wearing saftey goggles work in a sodium-ion battery technology lab setting. — Standard Potential employees work in their Tarrytown laboratory, where they are developing sodium-ion battery technology. Photo by Zagham A. Shah

“We are dedicated to fostering innovation and advancing battery and energy storage technologies in New York state,” said Bandhana Katoch, interim assistant vice president of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships at Binghamton University, home to the NENY program. “By building strong collaborations with regional partners, this program enables emerging battery companies to accelerate technology development, unlocking innovative solutions that drive sustainable growth and reinforce New York’s leadership in clean energy and sustainability.”

The program supports qualifying New York state companies by covering costs through vouchers for testing, prototyping and certification services provided by approved vendors and facilities, such as the NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage, Rochester Institute of Technology’s Battery Prototyping Center, Intertek and Cornell University’s NanoScale Facility. Companies gain access to these resources at a reduced cost, enabling them to accelerate their innovation efforts. Following a rigorous evaluation by the review panel, 11 companies were selected to receive a total of more than $750,000 in awards, empowering them to use essential prototyping, testing and certification services.

“This voucher program allows start-up companies to get the critical data to go to the next funding stage toward creating a commercial product,” said Nobel laureate M. Stanley Whittingham, distinguished professor of chemistry at Binghamton University. “Our goal is to move companies quickly along the path to creating ‘Batteries made in America by Americans.’”

Under this voucher program, companies can request funding to offset the costs associated with testing, prototyping, certification and related services from qualified New York-based providers, including at university centers and for-profit entities. Such services can be cost-prohibitive for small to medium-sized businesses, hindering the validation and advancement of technological innovations. Getting these innovations to market is crucial for NENY’s goal to build a sustainable and secure supply chain for the U.S. battery and energy storage industry.

“The NENY voucher program is accelerating the commercialization of products from high-potential startup companies by catalyzing business relationships with key product development and testing resources,” said William Acker, executive director of NY-BEST. “Concurrently advancing new energy storage innovations and the ecosystem, the voucher program is an important part of our efforts to grow the energy storage industry in New York State.”

The second-round voucher awardees are:

Bridge Green Upcycle Corp., a Binghamton-based member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. Bridge Green Upcycle promotes a more sustainable future through the recycling and repurposing of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. Its supported project aims to enhance its technology that estimates the state of health of batteries with high precision to achieve high-grade black mass and extract precursor materials with lower emissions.
Charge CCCV (C4V), a Binghamton-based member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. The lithium-ion battery technology company focuses on commercializing novel cobalt- and nickel-free electrode chemistries that reduce the environmental footprint and dependency on foreign supply chains. Its supported project aims to build on its first NENY Voucher award to optimize its pouch cells by qualifying raw materials.
Custom Electronics Inc., based in Oneonta, N.Y. and founded in 1964. Custom Electronics manufactures complex energy storage, electronic, display and electromechanical products. The supported project seeks to test and certify its LFP portable battery power station solution.
Graphenix Development Inc., based in Rochester, N.Y. The company aims to expedite the shift to sustainable energy through pioneering 100% silicon anodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries. Its supported project will build on its first NENY Voucher successes to enhance the cycle life of its 100% silicon anode.
LiBAMA Power, a Binghamton-based member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. The company, founded in 2022, aims to innovate high-energy lithium batteries with technology applicable to sodium-ion, zinc and aluminum batteries. The supported project will focus on the assembly and testing of battery prototypes using its anode technology.
Natrion Inc., a member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. The company is focused on solid-state battery innovation, producing fire-safe, high-performance and manufacturer-friendly components for an all-electric future. The supported project is focused on validating and elevating the technology readiness of its solid-state separator technology.
REEgen Inc., based in Ithaca. REEgen plans to supply rare earth elements (REE) and critical minerals for sustainable energy and battery technologies with a lower environmental impact and lower carbon footprint than current methods. Its supported project aims to test the efficacy of its bio-extraction and bio-separation processes.
Sionic Energy Inc., based in Rochester, N.Y. The firm aims to eliminate the need for graphite by developing 100% silicon anodes for raising the performance of lithium-ion batteries. The supported project will support cell building for customer evaluations and testing for future generations.
Standard Potential, a Koffman Southern Tier Incubator ChargeUp Program graduate based in Tarrytown, N.Y. The company is developing a sodium-ion technology that leverages both mineral abundance and unique cell architectures to simplify manufacturing processes. The supported project will focus on safety and performance testing to demonstrate the commercial viability of sodium-ion batteries, especially in cold climates and safety-critical applications such as e-bikes and energy storage systems.
Urban Electric Power, based in Pearl River, N.Y. The company focuses on energy storage systems using its patented rechargeable zinc-manganese dioxide (ZnMnO2) battery technology. Its supported project aims to obtain additional certification and secure a UL listing for its energy storage system.
Volexion, a member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. Volexion specializes in graphene-encapsulated cathode active materials. The supported project will allow for the production and testing of cells to improve the technology readiness of its product.

New Energy New York (NENY) advances groundbreaking projects and supports the growth of New York’s battery and energy storage enterprises. To learn more about New Energy New York, explore our website further. To receive updates and news in your inbox, subscribe to the NENY newsletter at bit.ly/NENY-news-signup.