Sicona Battery Technologies announced raising $15 million in its latest funding round, while Aquila has secured $2 million in fresh funding.
India’s Himadri Specialty backs Sicona
Energy startup Sicona Battery Technologies has announced raising A$22 million (about $15 million) in Series A funding from a host of investors, including India’s Himadri Specialty Chemical Ltd.
The round, which Sicona will use to further expand in Australia and the US, was also backed by Australian venture capital investor Artesian and Electrification & Decarbonization AIE LP, a fund managed by Waratah Capital.
Riverstone Ventures, Chaos Ventures, Investible Climate Tech Fund LP, and Club Investible also participated, according to the announcement.
Headquartered south of Sydney, Sicona develops low-cost, scalable next-generation battery materials technology used in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that enable electric-mobility and storage of renewable energy.
Blackbird Ventures leads Aquila’s seed round
Australasian renewable energy startup Aquila announced that it has secured A$3 million (about $2 million) in seed funding for its innovative technology that transmits electricity through beams of light.
The fundraising round was led by Australian venture capital firm Blackbird Ventures and backed by investors such as Startmate, Icehouse Ventures, and Possible Ventures.
Aquila, co-founded by software developer Billy Jeremijenko and mechatronics engineer Nelson Smith, seeks to actualise Nikola Tesla’s vision of wireless electricity transmission. The founders compare this development to the monumental leap from dial-up internet to Wi-Fi.
The co-founders are confident that their innovative approach to energy transfer is the next step for the industry.
