Battery Resourcers, a startup developing a closed-loop process for recycling and manufacturing lithium-ion battery materials, was named the 2021 Rocket Ship Climate Tech Company of the Year by the New England Venture Capital Association on Thursday, Dec. 2.
[Note: On January 19, 2022, Battery Resourcers changed its name to Ascend Elements.]
Presented at the 9th Annual NEVY Awards event in Boston, the award recognizes the top innovators, investors and companies developing clean technologies to address climate change. Battery Resourcers has raised more than $90 million in 2021 to fund commercialization of its patented Hydro-to-Cathode™ technology, the world’s most efficient lithium-ion battery recycling process. The company is on track to increase its battery processing capacity to 150,000 metric tons per year by 2023.
“As demand for electric vehicles continues to rise, it’s vital to build capacity in the U.S. to recycle and re-engineer the valuable metals in spent lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap so we can return those metals to the battery supply chain in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way,” said Michael O’Kronley, CEO of Battery Resourcers. “We are honored to be recognized by the New England Venture Capital Association for our efforts. It’s especially meaningful to be selected by a body of our peers who understand the challenges and pressures of building a successful business.”
The NEVYs are Boston’s premier celebration of the venture ecosystem, uniting the tech and life science communities. Other finalists in the Climate Tech category included Boston Materials, Boston Metal, Form Energy and Malta.