Technology
iPod Inventor and Nest Founder Tony Fadell Backs First Battery Startup

(Bloomberg) — iPod co-inventor Tony Fadell is backing a battery company that says it’s found a way to store more energy using silicon scrap waste.
Fadell’s investment firm, Future Shape, is among the contributors to Advano’s $18.5 million Series A funding round. It’s Fadell’s first battery investment.
Silicon could be key to building more powerful batteries. The anodes of most existing systems are made with graphite. But silicon can hold far more lithium. The problem is silicon anodes tend to swell and crack. That’s set off a race among companies including Sila Nanotechnologies Inc. to figure out how to make them work better. Advano says it has a solution.
“Everyone wants at least some kind of silicon anode in the battery,” Fadell, who also helped invent the iPhone and was a co-founder of Nest Labs, said in an interview. “That’s the holy grail.”
Advano designed its silicon anode material to be incorporated into existing battery designs, said Alexander Girau, the company’s founder. Part of the New Orleans-based company’s strategy is using silicon scraps left over from semiconductor and solar manufacturing. That enables it to save money and sidestep silicon manufacturing.
The funding will help Advano develop a pilot manufacturing facility and expand its staff by 50%. It also announced a partnership with battery-material supplier Mitsui Kinzoku of Japan. Other investors in the round include Mitsui Kinzoku SBI Material Innovation Fund, Thiel Capital and Y Combinator.
-
News2 months ago
OpenAI Strengthens ChatGPT’s Mental Health Safeguards Ahead of GPT-5 Launch
-
OER Magazines4 weeks ago
Dossier – ToP 25 Personalities 2025
-
Dossier4 weeks ago
Arabic Dossier – ToP 25 Personalities 2025
-
Banking & Finance2 months ago
Strong Performance and Strategic Approach: ahlibank announces Its Financial Results for the First Half of 2025
-
Economy2 months ago
Najla Zuhair Al Jamali Appointed President of bp Oman
-
News1 month ago
Ooredoo Wins Silver Stevie® Award for Diversity and Inclusion Excellence
-
News1 month ago
xAI Open-Sources Grok 2.5, Signaling Accelerated AI Push
-
Alamaliktistaad Magazines4 weeks ago
Al-iktisaad, August 25