US startup Bedrock enters market for sodium-ion batteries
According to a company press release, Bedrock Materials specialises in the production of materials for sodium-ion batteries. The startup has its temporary headquarters in its incubator building in Chicago. However, Bedrock plans to move into a larger, permanent location before the end of the year. The company’s CEO is Spencer Gore, a former Tesla engineer.
According to the start-up, it has now succeeded in closing a seed financing round of 9 million US dollars and opening a research and development centre in Chicago. According to the company, it has been producing “battery precursor materials on a research and development scale” since last month.
The company’s decision to locate in Chicago is based on the strong presence of materials science research institutions in the region, including Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois and the Illinois Institute of Technology. The Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont is also a leader in the development of sodium-ion batteries. Bedrock was also offered an incentive package by the state of Illinois to relocate.
“The choice to come to Chicago was an easy one. There is arguably one active laboratory in America that has produced a successful automotive battery chemistry, and it’s here,” said Spencer Gore. “Argonne National Laboratory wrote the book on modern sodium-ion technology. Today, pulling on the deep regional talent pool they have built, we are excited to perfect and scale it.”
Bedrock Materials was founded in 2023 by Rafael Vilá, CTO and battery scientist at Stanford University, and CEO Spencer Gore. According to the company, the management and advisory team consists of “current and former executives from Tesla, Volkswagen, General Motors, Samsung, Panasonic, QuantumScape, Sila Nanotechnologies, Enovix and Apple”.
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