Aepnus Technology successfully completes national NSF I-Corps

Cal Bears are saving the planet, one battery at a time!

The demand for electric cars and rechargeable devices has led to an insatiable appetite for lithium-ion batteries. Mining for lithium has unleashed a global race that yields uneven results, at best, and destroys indigenous communities, at worst, as in Chile’s Atacama salt flats.

Aepnus Technology, co-founded by recent University of California, Berkeley PhD Lukas Hackl + Berkeley Lab postdoc Bilen Akuzum & Industry Mentor Steven Stieg just completed the 7-week National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Program, where they did a deep dive into 101 potential customers, partners and ecosystem players for their mineral refinement technology.

One of their many unexpected findings is that the best business opportunity may be around battery recycling vs. mining. Similarly, a focus on refining the waste streams inherent in mining lithium can also serve as a win-win for the technology…and the planet.

Check out their Lessons Learned video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AeIh-nruno