Shows
Take Charge PodcastEp 56: Fourth Power - Half the Sun, All the PowerDiscover how Fourth Power is reimagining energy storage, by storing the sun in a box and beating natural gas at its own game.Hear Christina Belsito, VP Corporate Affairs, reveal the secrets behind breakthrough thermal battery tech, startup team magic, and scaling clean energy for the future.This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in energy innovation, climate tech, or the future of the grid. Christina unpacks Fourth Power's mission to provide affordable, safe and domestically sourced energy storage at utility scale. The conversation spans rigorous R...
2025-11-0425 minTake Charge PodcastEp 55: $463 Million to Power the Future - How Group14 Plans to Lead the Next Battery BoomWe’re absolutely thrilled about our latest episode of the Take Charge podcast featuring Rick (Eric) Luebbe, CEO and Co-Founder of Group14 Technologies.Our new host, Blaze Gardner, had the incredible opportunity to dive into Rick's journey, from the birth of Group14—born out of a bold belief in silicon's potential for batteries—to how the company is transforming energy storage today.What excites us most is how Rick and his team cracked the historic challenge of silicon expansion, creating a ground-breaking battery material that is faster-charging, longer-lasting, and more energy-dense than traditional option...
2025-10-2222 min
The Recruitment Mentors PodcastThe Systems, Culture & Strategy Behind Alex Woodhead’s $1B Goal for AperaAlex Woodhead helped scale Strativ Group to 120 people, £13M NFI, and £3.5M EBITDA in just four years then walked away.In this episode, we unpack why he made the bold move to start again with Apera, his $1B vision, and the systems, culture, and strategy he’s building from day one.If you’re thinking about starting over or building something big, this one’s for you.Connect with Alex here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderwoodhead/-------------------------Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XG6P4meBBY0...
2025-08-111h 18Take Charge PodcastEp 54: Avanza Energy - It’s ‘Go Time’ for Energy StorageIt’s GO TIME for Energy Storage!With stress on the grid continuing to increase, there are predictions that demand will double by 2050 in the USA. As a result, we’re seeing a lot of movement in the energy storage market! This is why we were keen to welcome a true veteran in the field, Christopher Johnson, who clears up some misconceptions, answers our community questions and give us a real insight into the future of energy storage. We hope you enjoy!This podcast is created by glob...
2025-06-1042 minTake Charge PodcastEp 53: Decoding Volta’s Battery Talent CensusWelcome to the decoding of the Battery Talent Census delivered by our partners at the Volta Foundation! Our guests today, Wendy Papakostandini and Andrew Weng have done something that’s never been done before by collecting critical data, which is invaluable for both employers and employees in the battery field! Wendy’s full time position is the Principal of Talent at Anzu Partners, whilst Andrew with a rich history at Tesla, is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan, so I have no idea how they’ve found time as Program Direct...
2025-05-2743 minTake Charge PodcastEp 52: NOVONIX – Creating a Materials Supply Chain in North AmericaWill we ever see batteries that are 100% made in North American? With tariffs and the ever increasing geopolitical tension, comes the increasing pressure to create a robust, domestic supply chain to do so. Battery Materials is naturally a huge element to achieving this, which is why I was proud to welcome NOVONIX to Take Charge, with both their Anode (Harrison Kreafle) and Cathode Mark McArthur) Technology Directors joining me to shine a light on how we can create a domestic materials supply chain in North America. We hope you enjoy!
2025-05-1344 minTake Charge PodcastEp 51: Foothill Ventures - How to Secure Investment for Your Battery Start-upOver the past year-18 months, it’s fair to say that investment in the battery space has been dynamic to say the least. With the US battery industry facing headwinds due to recent tariffs and more geopolitical issues, we were keen to welcome Foothill Ventures to the podcast, who are arguably the most active seed-round investor in the US battery industry. Eric Rosenblum joins me, who is a true thought leader in the space, as he sheds some light on the industry, giving guidance on investment rational and talking about the future of th...
2025-04-2945 minTake Charge PodcastEp 50: Byterat – The Future of Battery DataHalf a century of Take Charge episodes, with Penelope Jones, the Founder and CEO of Byterat taking charge for our 50th! We'd like to give Paul Sinclair a special shout out, who is the CCO of Byterat and the EVP of Development at the Volta Foundation, as he’s been a true supporter of Take Charge since day one. He kindly connected us with Penelope to talk all things battery data, analytics and AI. We hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2025-04-0131 minTake Charge PodcastEp 49: Invinity Energy Systems – Return to Office: Balancing Flexibility and Face-to-Face SynergyIt’s March 2020, the world is shook in so many ways, one of those was the working dynamic, with many businesses and employees turning to remote working for the very first time. It quickly became the norm and widely accepted, but fast forward to the present day, and there seems to be a shift back to office. In this episode, we cover this trend, clearing up a lot of myths and facts and talking about employee flexibility versus employee collaboration, and on all of these topics, our guests provides advice for employees and employers on how you can better manage th...
2025-03-2542 minTake Charge PodcastInternational Women's Day Special: How to Accelerate Action to Improve Gender Diversity in the Battery IndustryWomen make up 16% of the battery industry… with even fewer in leadership roles. This isn’t something we're particularly proud of.So, to address this and showcase that the battery space is a viable and incredible option for women… Our community lead, Lauren Allanson, hosted a webinar for #InternationalWomensDay: During this ep, you'll discover: 👉 Key barriers preventing gender diversity and how to overcome them. 👉 Successful case studies from companies taking the lead. 👉 Practical actio...
2025-03-1452 minTake Charge PodcastEp 48: Anthro Energy - The Electrolyte of the Future!Today, we’re talking about electrolytes... but not the type that hydrates Jamie for his marathon training. Instead, we’re talking about an electrolyte solution in the batteries of our future! David Mackinac, the Co-Founder & CEO of Anthro Energy joins us to clear up many electrolyte myths and facts. He also talks us through their story, their future and their unique drop-in solid electrolyte solution. Finally, as always, he answers a few question from you, our battery community. We hope you enjoy!This podcast is created by glob...
2025-03-1131 minTake Charge PodcastEp 47: EnPower Inc - Electrode and Cell Innovation in the USADeveloping your own battery cell is hard, it’s not easy! A phrase commonly used for sure, and one that today’s guest highlights. Omkar Nadgauda joins me, who is the Chief Operations Officer of EnPower Inc, which interestingly has the largest cell manufacturing capacity of any US-based startup!Jamie helped Omkar join EnPower Inc last year, so it was a real pleasure to welcome him onto Take Charge! We hope you enjoy.This podcast is created by Strativ Group, experts in the CleanTech talent market....
2025-02-2646 minTake Charge PodcastEp 46: The Future of Battery Fire Prevention & SuppressionGet best practices for battery fire prevention & suppression from 3 battery fire experts:- Patrick Durham, Captain & Training Officer | StacheD Training- Wayne Aho, Sr. Product Manager | Seimens- Brian Morin, CEO | Soteria TechnologiesIn this 45-minute session, you’ll:- Get the latest data on the rise or fall of battery fires and what the future holds for this growing issue.- Hear key takeaways from an extensive report on battery safety and fire prevention.- Understand the newest advancements in...
2025-02-1946 minTake Charge PodcastEp 45: Moment Energy - Everyone Deserves a 2nd Chance, Even Batteries!Doesn’t everyone deserve a 2nd chance? In this case, we’re talking about EV batteries having a 2nd life through BESS applications. We're proud to welcome Sumreen Rattan in this episode, who is a Co-Founder and the Chief Operations Officer of Moment Energy. It’s fair to say that Moment Energy are the talk of the town right now, or perhaps the company of the Moment in this space, after their recent DOE funding and close of their Series-A funding round. We talk about what this means for their busine...
2025-01-2827 minTake Charge PodcastEp 44: BlackTeal Energy - Starting-up in Trump’s USAWelcome to 2025, the year when Donald Trump takes over the US… again! What does that mean for the US Battery & Clean Technology market? Today, Jamie welcomes Sham Ramnarain, who is the Founder & CEO of BlackTeal Energy. They’re a business who’ve moved quickly in recent months, taking the administration change into consideration, soon to close their seed round and have established a new entity in Holland, MI. Hear from Sham as he shares his story, strategy and his outlook for the industry under Trump’s administration. We hope...
2025-01-1437 minTake Charge PodcastEp 43: XL Batteries - The Low Down on Flow BatteriesWhat are Flow Batteries?… Well, the technology has been around for a while, but it’s fair to say it’s never really taken off. Perhaps until now… XL Batteries’ Founder & CEO, Tom Sisto, joins us to educate us on all things Flow Batteries, sharing his story and how their version can be game changing for grid energy storage. We think you’ll find this conversation flowed quite nicely, we hope you enjoy!The Take Charge series is created by Strativ Group, a talent solutions or...
2025-01-0733 minTake Charge PodcastEp 42: UNIGRID - Sodium-ion batteries, Myths & FactsMyth or Fact, Sodium-ion batteries are cheaper than lithium-ion batteries? What do you think? In today’s episode we clarify several claims or myths around sodium-ion batteries, and to do so, we have a real expert in the field to help. Darren Tan, the CEO of UNIGRID Battery joins me for our last episode of 2024! We cover topics around technology, manufacturing and commercial adoption, taking a deep dive into the history, present capabilities and future scope of sodium-ion batteries.We hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...
2024-12-1750 minTake Charge PodcastEp 41: Altilium - What Happens to EV Batteries at End of Life?What fate faces today’s EV Batteries at the end of their life? Jamie is joined by Dr Christian Marston, the Co-Founder & COO of Altilium, as we discuss the importance and complexities of battery recycling and decarbonising our supply chains. There’s talk of new batteries eventually being made from old ones and the demand on mining raw materials to be heavily reduced, if not removed in a couple of decades time. We’re here today to run through the statistics and outlook, we hope you enjoy!Take C...
2024-12-0338 minTake Charge PodcastEp 40: Ten-Nine Technologies - The Clock is Ticking for Planet EarthTen… Nine… The clock is ticking for our time on planet earth! Jamie is joined by Ten-Nine Technology’s Founder & CEO, Paige Johnson. To secure our future, it’s so important that the battery industry thrives across the world to achieve electrification. To do so, creating an environment where teams can thrive and innovate to build better batteries is imperative. This is something Paige is very passionate about, as we discuss Paige and Ten-Nine’s inspiring journey over the past 10 years, how she’s been able to build inclus...
2024-11-1945 minTake Charge PodcastEp 39: Blue Current - Can Solid-State Batteries work with Silicon?Solid-state batteries made with silicon, as opposed to lithium metal… It’s a rare case, which is why we're excited to be joined by Blue Current, who’ve been gathering momentum with this chemistry over many years. Susan Stone, the new CEO of Blue Current joins our host Jamie, as well as Kevin Wujcik, the long-standing CTO, to talk about their journey so far and why this is our chemistry of the future. Given Susan’s background, she also gives us her take on the current investment landscape, as well as her o...
2024-11-0543 minTake Charge PodcastEp 38: Live in Detroit - Why Strategic Partnerships are KeyLive from Battery Show North America, we get strategic!Jamie speaks to 3 incredible leaders, about building important partnerships in the batter industry;Vick Singh – SVP of Technology – Dragonfly EnergyDean Miller - Senior Scientist – TESCAN USA Inc.Wesley De Boever – Product Sales Leader - TESCAN USA Inc.Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your insight!For more info about the Take Charge community and podcast feel free to email our host Jamie Sheard at j.sheard@strativgroup.com.This series is creat...
2024-10-2927 min
The Li-MITLESS ENERGY PodcastShaping the Future of Battery Talent: Insights from StrativThe need for skilled talent in the battery industry continues to grow, and one global recruitment agency is working to shape the workforce across the technology, future mobility, industrial, and clean energy markets. The Strativ Group's Head of Battery Technologies, Jamie Sheard, sits down with Dr. Denis Phares inside the Volta Foundation Lounge at The 2024 Battery Show in Detroit to discuss the evolving global landscape of battery production.
Watch the video interview at https://youtu.be/mqk4dpcwgPk
2024-10-2223 minThe Li-MITLESS ENERGY PodcastShaping the Future of Battery Talent: Insights from StrativThe need for skilled talent in the battery industry continues to grow, and one global recruitment agency is working to shape the workforce across the technology, future mobility, industrial, and clean energy markets. The Strativ Group's Head of Battery Technologies, Jamie Sheard, sits down with Dr. Denis Phares inside the Volta Foundation Lounge at The 2024 Battery Show in Detroit to discuss the evolving global landscape of battery production.
Watch the video interview at https://youtu.be/mqk4dpcwgPk
2024-10-2223 minTake Charge PodcastEp 37: Live in Detroit - Inspiring Women to Join the ChargeOur second recording from the Battery Show US 2024 covers DEI and leadership in the battery industry.Jamie speaks to three incredible female leaders, who all share their own experiences and advice for other women in the space:Barbara Hughes – VP of Energy Storage, Forge NanoAshley Schaefer – Head of Cell Engineering, Ten-Nine TechnologiesCelina Mikolajczak – Chief Battery Technical Officer, LytenThank you so much for your insight guys, we loved this chat!Take Charge is a community & podcast series, sponsored by the Volta Founda...
2024-10-2237 min
1% Better Recruitment PodcastEP 8 - Not All TA’s Are ‘Failed Recruiters’ With Louise Gilmour
In this episode, we are joined by Louise Gilmour, founder of LVG Recruitment and an industry leader in Talent Acquisition.
Louise worked for Chapman Black, Signify Technology, and Strativ Group. She helped grow each of those businesses with her internal recruitment strategies and expertise in attracting the best talent.
We talked through the perception of TA in recruitment, how businesses attract and retain talent, and how you can really build a career in talent acquisition.
2024-10-2241 minTake Charge PodcastEp 36: Live in Detroit - The Future of US Battery ManufacturingLive from Detroit!Jamie records this ep in the Volta Foundation lounge at The US Battery Show, discussing the future of battery manufacturing with 3 incredible leaders:Johnnie Stoker, CEO – Ultion TechnologiesPaul Lichty, CEO – Forge Nano & Forge BatteryJay Bellows, President – KORE PowerThank you so much for your insight guys, we loved this chat!Take Charge is a community & podcast series, sponsored by the Volta Foundation and created by the battery talent solutions experts, Strativ Group.For more info about joining our community or bec...
2024-10-1829 minTake Charge PodcastEp 35: Exum Instruments - Do You Know Where Your Lithium Is?Welcome to another Powered by Volta episode.Do you know where your lithium is? This episode could provide a big relief for many battery scientists, as we talk about Laser Ablation Laser Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry and how it can revolutionize material characterization. Hear from Jeff Williams, the Founder & CEO of Exum Instruments as we take a deep dive into what this solution means for our industry. We hope you enjoy!This podcast is hosted by Jamie Sheard, who is Senior Commercial Manager & Head of...
2024-10-0129 minTake Charge PodcastEp 34: Bry-Air, The Not So ‘Dry’ Topic of Dry RoomsWelcome to another Powered by Volta Episode of Take Charge!Who said the conversation on dry rooms had to be dry? Keith Hoge joins us today, who is the Director of Bry-Air’s Battery Business. Keith talks us through how dry rooms work and how they will evolve to meet next-gen requirements. We also discuss how the supply of domestic equipment is a major challenge and will continue to be as the battery manufacturing sector grows across the States. Finally, we have a couple of quick fire questions from you, ou...
2024-09-2420 minTake Charge PodcastEp 33: From Battery Brunch to Global Battery Community, with Volta Foundation Founder Yen YehHello everyone! We have a very exciting announcement to make...This the first of many ‘Powered By Volta’ Take Charge episodes. Yen and I share more in this podcast about what that actually means. Can you believe it’s been 5 years since the establishment of The Volta Foundation?There’s no one better to talk us through this journey than the founder himself, Yen Yeh. We talk about highlights, challenges, lessons learned and what the future has in store. We hope you enjo...
2024-09-1740 minTake Charge PodcastEp 32: Gelion – The Low Down on Lithium-SulfurThe Low Down on Lithium-Sulfur… do we smell a chemistry that will be mass-produced in the future? Apologies for the pun… Jake Carpenter, the Commercial Manager at Gelion joins me to talk all things li-sulfur. He provides history of the chemistry, the issues to date, the abundance, price and manufacturability of sulfur and how it could be game changing to many applications. We also discuss battery recycling, especially given Gelion’s future endeavours in this area. Also, for the first time, we ask Jake a few...
2024-09-0340 minTake Charge PodcastEp 31: Addionics - What’s Current with Current Collectors?This is an element sometimes overshadowed... but today, we shine a spotlight on it.Ofer Friedman, the VP of Products at Addionics joins us, as we discuss which geographies dominate current collector production, how geopolitics is playing it’s part how things needs to change if we’re to meet our ambitious battery manufacturing targets, particularly in the US. We discuss the advancements in technology, how current collectors can contribute to reducing the costs and increasing performance of batteries, as well as Ofer’s outlook and predictions on everything I just mentioned. ...
2024-08-2129 minTake Charge PodcastEp 30: Voltaiq - How Data & AI will Accelerate Battery ManufacturingTo accelerate battery manufacturing, is data analytics the key?We're joined today by Eli Leland, who is the CTO & Co-Founder of Voltaiq.We've seen a lot of hype around analytics recently, whether that be in R&D or manufacturing, so it was great to speak with a data analytics veteran, whose been in the game since 2012.Hear from Eli on how analytics is currently contributing to battery manufacturing, how it can be the key to tackling our staffing/personnel issue as we aspire to achieve lofty manufacturing targets by 2030, as...
2024-08-0638 minTake Charge PodcastEp 29: KORE Power - US Battery Manufacturing with Jay BellowsAmbitious plans is what we like to see when it comes to US Battery Manufacturing. Hear from Jay Bellows, the President of Kore Power, as we discuss their ambitious plans, his outlook for the industry, our growing reliance on the Grid and how the US can get it right with vertical integration and a strong supply chain. We hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-07-2337 minTake Charge PodcastEp 28: Candela - Half Boat, Half AircraftElectric boats that ride above the waves! In episode 28, we're joined by Mikael Mahlberg, the Head of Communications at CANDELA. As well as looking really cool, their hydrofoiling technology is game changing for the electrification of boats. It improves efficiency, speed and reduces sea sickness.It’s also great for the buildings in Venice, leisure, commuting, ferrying and so much more. Hear from a company that’s already commercial, making sales whilst not making waves. You’ll see what we mean as you get into the episode. ...
2024-07-0935 minTake Charge PodcastEp 27: Battery Streak – Novel Technology & Novel GenerationFast Charge without the heat, but with a dramatically increased cycle life!Today we welcome Dan Alpern, the VP Marketing at Battery Streak. We’ve had several guests on the show talk about fast charge capabilities, so this one is a great follow-on to deepen the conversation. In part one we talk about novel technology, fast charge, their anode and cathode materials and how this can add value to so many applications. As Take Charge is all about adding value to our community, part two of our conversation is all ab...
2024-07-0244 minTake Charge PodcastEp 26: Volta Foundation – Diversity at the Heart of Battery InnovationJuly 26th 2024, mark your calendars! (Since our podcast recording, the event has now SOLD OUT!)My guest today, Nika Ptushkina is hosting the first in person event for Women In Batteries at Stanford University. It’s in partnership with the Stanford StorageX Initiative and it promises to be an amazing event. They have an incredible panel of speakers lined up, with great food, entertainment and much more. We unfortunately can’t attend and we feel very bad about it, so we wanted to give back and to help Nika promote the event, as well...
2024-06-2537 minTake Charge PodcastThe Nico Murillo Story - Laid off by Tesla, House Sold & Living in a Car for Financial IndependenceWe're so excited to share this ep with you! This is a little different to our usual podcasts, focusing on the incredible journey of Nico Murillo. Nico’s story has captured the imagination of so many. Like many of his colleagues, he too was laid off by Tesla this year. That's despite the dedication he displayed in his role as Production Supervisor at the EV company. He'd been above and beyond. To avoid the 90-minute commute, Nico had been sleeping in his car and sh...
2024-06-1835 minTake Charge PodcastEp 25: HALEVAI - The Electric Boat RevolutionIn a Take Charge first, we welcome a guest from the world of Electric Boats. Frank Heidinger the Founder and CEO of HALEVAI has a compelling story. He comes from a super interesting background and his vision is one we're sure you can get behind. Their mission is simple, to make boating easier and cleaner for everyone. We talk about their boat and battery specifications, target market, the nature of boating and how is easily it can become more cost effective, efficient and cleaner....
2024-06-1154 minTake Charge PodcastEp 24: ENOVIX: How AI is Killing Your Phone BatteryWhen did power banks for smart phones become a thing? It’s a product and market that’s been born simply because our batteries can’t keep up with the increased amount we’re using our smartphones… as well as the applications on them zapping more power, with the biggest culprit being Artificial Intelligence. Well, this is a problem that today’s guest is tackling. Samira Naraghi joins us, who is the SVP of Product & Sales at Enovix. Now Enovix’s technologies will be compatible to many applications, but consumer electronics an...
2024-05-2839 minTake Charge PodcastEp 23: Natrion Inc - Commercialising Solid-stateCommercialising Solid-state batteries! A very difficult undertaking. Well, Natrion Inc are on a mission make this happen, with their Solid-state Electrolyte Component technology. First of all, Jamie would like to apologise for how many times he used the word ‘impressive’ in this episode. He got a little carried away....But with good reason. Co-Founders, Alex Kosyakov, the CEO, and Thomas Rouffiac, the COO, justify the title! They also made the Forbes 30 under 30 list for the Energy Category this year! Impressive. Get ready to hear from the leaders behi...
2024-05-2132 minTake Charge PodcastEp 22: Beam Global – The Hot Topic of Thermal Management & SafetyCan heat really be a battery’s friend?Jamie is joined by Said Al-Hallaj who is a Chief Battery Scientist at Beam Global. Beam Global acquired AllCell in 2022, which is a company Said founded all the way back in 2008, so Said of course joined in this acquisition. Jamie and the Strativ Group team caught his presentation at the Battery Show in Michigan last year and since then we've been very keen for him to Take Charge! Said starts by talking us through the eVTOL downtime issue, then ho...
2024-05-1436 minTake Charge PodcastEp 21: Bloom Energy: Battery x Hydrogen = DecarbonizationToday's a slightly different episode, as we're joined by Akhil Batheja, VP Business Development, at the hydrogen giant Bloom Energy.Like myself, I’m sure there’s a fascination about the hydrogen industry amongst us battery folk.So Akhil, gives us a crash course - talking through the differences and similarities to the battery industry, including application areas. He talks us through some of their projects including their recent announcement with Shell and their story of establishing the world’s largest electrolyzer demo.We discuss how you can tr...
2024-05-0729 minTake Charge PodcastEp 20: Blue Solutions - The Solid-State DebateWith CATL's recent statement that "Solid-State Batteries won't work", this episode is perfectly timed! I'm joined by the solid-state giant, Blue Solutions, who are arguable one of the most advanced solid-state companies in the world. Adrian Tylim joins me, who has a Masters in Energy Systems Engineering, he’d had an incredibly successful career in the renewables industry. Including some impressive work with NASA, he's also been a successful founder & CTO before joining Blue Solutions in 2018 as the Head of Business Development. He gives us his opinion on CATL’s recent comments, the future of solid-state, Blue Solution’s ownership and ho...
2024-04-3038 minTake Charge PodcastEp 19: Morrow Batteries' Business Philosophy; Empowering Through BelongingShould having children affect your career progression? Does taking a leave of absence influence your bosses' perception of you? Do you avoid telling your boss or prospective employer that you're planning on starting a family? 2 guests from Morrow Batteries take charge today; Adriana Navarro-Suarez (R&D Manager) and Naja Boone (Director of Marketing & Communications). Adri is completing an amazing piece of research into how a 'leave of absence' affects careers in the battery & energy storage field. She has a survey open until mid-June 2024 and welcomes people to participate! Here is a link to the survey. We discuss this, as well...
2024-04-2340 minTake Charge PodcastEp 18: Ultion Tech - Why Battery Start-Ups FailWhy are so many battery start-ups failing? Does our world need more chemistries, or more batteries? Why should you manufacture in the US? For a Take Charge first, we're joined by a father & son duo; Johnnie and Taylor Stoker, Co-Founders of Ultion Technologies located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Johnnie is the CEO, who founded and grew K2 Energy to become a leader in the LFP space. During his successful 18 year tenure, with plenty of those spent in China, he learned invaluable lessons and recently identified a huge opportunity to focus efforts on an ‘American Made’ solution. To answer the afor...
2024-04-1650 minTake Charge PodcastEp 17: Volexion - How Fast Should you Scale?As a battery technology start-up, how fast should you scale? Today’s guest, Damien Despinoy has the benefit of assessing and investing in energy storage businesses prior to co-founding Volexion in 2020. As the CEO, Damien talks us through their growth activities and what the future holds them, providing insights on ideal scaling pace. He gives his assessment on the current investment landscape across the battery industry, as well as talking us through their widely compatible drop-in graphene encapsulation technology. Damien, let’s Take Charge! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-04-0943 minTake Charge PodcastEp 16: Amprius Technologies - Jon Bornstein, The Silicon SolutionIn this audio episode, Jon Bornstein, the President of Amprius Labs joins me to discuss the dynamic world of silicon, their recently expanded production facility in Fremont, their upcoming gigafactory in Colorado and how silicon will accelerate future of battery technologies and electrification. Over the past 11 years, Jon has been on an amazing journey with Amprius, so it was a real pleasure to speak with him about the challenges endured and landmarks achieved. Jon, thank you for Taking Charge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-03-1325 min
The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth PodcastSeason 7 | Ep30 - Alex Woodhead on why recruitment companies that build the best PRODUCT will always winThis week, I'm super excited to be joined by Alex Woodhead, the founder of a brand new 10-day-old talent and engineering consultancy called Apera. A business that specialises in recruitment for future mobility, space and clean energy. This is a super niche futuristic market with so much space for growth. And it isn’t Alex’s first time attacking it! We talk about how Alex started in recruitment: his journey from trainee to Director in his first firm, how he co-founded a company called Strativ, and built one of the fastest-growing recruitment companies on the planet...
2024-03-061h 33Take Charge PodcastEp 15: ION Storage Systems – A New Blueprint for Solid-State BatteriesION Storage Systems join me this week, with the VP of Supply Chain Neil Ovadia (top of screen) and the CTO Gregory Hitz (bottom of screen) sharing insight on the history of solid-state batteries, starting with why we still don’t have a commercialised one! ION Storage Systems look to change this, as they share their 3-Dimensional approach. We talk about compression, safety, manufacturing, supply chain and much more. We'll be watching their future with interest, as they attempt to tackle the solid-state dilemma! Greg, Neil, thank you for Taking Charge! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
2024-02-2850 minTake Charge PodcastEp 14: AM Batteries - Dry Battery Electrode 2.0Hieu Duong, the Chief Manufacturing Officer of AM Batteries joins me to discuss their dry battery electrode manufacturing process, whilst discussing his experience with Maxwell Technologies and Tesla post acquisition. We acknowledge their recent $30M series B funding round and what this means for the business, whilst talking through the various opportunities dry process manufacturing presents in the United States. As well as reduced costs, increased efficiency and environmental benefits, this process presents an opportunity for manufacturing talent across the US to more easily transition into battery manufacturing, versus existing wet-coating processes. This could be a huge solution to the...
2024-02-2228 minTake Charge PodcastEp 13: Group14 – Sustainable Inclusion: How to approach DEI for long-term successOur guest for this episode is Charlotte Flanagan, who joined Group 14 Technologies last year as the Director of Diversity &Belonging, and recently broadened her role to also cover Sustainability. Diversity Equity & Inclusion is a topic I’m very passionate about. I released an article on the subject in May last year and I’ve been waiting for the right guest to join me on the podcast to delve deeper into the topics… until now! Charlottehas over 10 years of experience focusing on DEI with the likes of Alaska Airlines, SAP and DocuSign, prior to joining Group 14. In this episode, we discus...
2024-02-1353 minTake Charge PodcastEp 12: Ionblox Inc - Silicon, XFC and ManufacturingIt was great pleasure to welcome our long-term client Ionblox Inc to the show, as Sujeet Kumar, the Co-Founder & CEO joins me to discuss Silicon Anode Technologies, XFC, Consumer Adoption and China v US manufacturing. As a business founder since 2007, armed with a PhD in Materials Science, Sujeet provides some of his best advice to fellow battery professionals. Sujeet, thank you for Taking Charge! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-02-0646 minTake Charge PodcastEp 11: Ionobell - Raising Investment with Robert NeivertI’m joined today by Robert Neivert, who is the CEO of Ionobell. Rob has also spent 10 years in VC, with plenty of exciting ventures to his name. He’s an engineer turned entrepreneur, and his unique pathway to establishing Ionobell isn’t one to be missed. Rob brings so much energy to this podcast, using his VC experience to provide exceptional insight and advice to those looking to raise investment, whilst maintaining and optimising exciting investor relations, he essentially provides a step-by-step process.We review 2023 and project how 2024 will look from an investment perspective. Thank you Rob for Taking...
2024-01-2353 minTake Charge PodcastEp 10: A Perspective on Investing in Energy Storage with Sente VenturesI’m joined today by the Founder of Sente Ventures; Serhat Cicekoglu. Sente Ventures are a VC firm, with a strong interest in energy storage, and a portfolio including the likes of Our Next Energy, NiveauUp and Ni-Cat. 2023 hasbeen a turbulent year to say the least when it comes to investment, and Serhat does a great job in offering perspective and advice to our community. Serhat is a person with real credibility, and I love the way he articulates investing in energy storage. This isn’t one to be missed! Serhat, it’s time to Take Charge....
2024-01-1656 minTake Charge PodcastEp 9: Forge Nano – Inspiring Women to Join the ChargeDr. Barbara Hughes Takes Charge, who is the Vice President of Energy Storage at Forge Nano. With a PhD in Materials Chemistry, Barbara has enjoyed over 15 years in interfacial nanomaterials chemistry and novel battery applications, leading the technical efforts for the battery innovation line at Forge Nano. Barbara is also the Chair of She’s in Power, a fantastic non-for-profit, providing a hands-on mentorship program, designed to grow and inspire the women who will be tomorrow’s clean energy leaders. We talk abou women in the industry, the importance of building diverse teams with an inclusive environment, the focus of Forg...
2024-01-0939 minTake Charge PodcastEp 8: EnergyX, Forbes 30 under 30 - Early-Career Essentials.In episode 8 Nick Grundish, the VP Battery Technologies at EnergyX Takes Charge. Nick was included in the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Energy Storage in 2023 and was also mentored by the late Professor John Goodenough. Nick talks us through his experience of being mentored by the great Professor, whilst imparting knowledge and experiences during his young and fast-paced career to date. Nick also provides plenty of advice on getting perspective, addressing imposter syndrome and generally advancing yourself as a battery engineer/scientist. Nick, it’s time to Take Charge! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-12-1946 minTake Charge PodcastEp 7: NavaFlex on the Bright Future of Wearable BatteriesI’m joined today by Ramachandra (Ram) Revur, who is the Co-Founder & COO of NavaFlex (formerly FlexEnergy LLC). The press you see around Batteries and Electrification is typically across EV, Energy Storage and eVTOL, but in this episode, we spotlight wearables and flexible batteries as a market with great potential. Ram talks us through the different application areas, such as medical, military and construction, how batteries can survive in the washing machine and why this industry has a bright future ahead. Perhaps you’re curious about how your battery & electrification career will look in the future, well this podcast provides insi...
2023-12-1247 minTake Charge PodcastEp 6: Burning Questions: Soteria’s E-bike Battery Safety ProjectThank you to the New York Fire Department for the video that opens this podcast. It’s a scary reminder of how important battery safety is, as we scale these technologies to electrify our future. It’s alarming when you think about all the times you’ve been close to an e-bike, at a café, walking down the street or sat in traffic. Brian Morin, the Founder & CEO of Soteria joins me to talk all things battery and e-bike safety, highlighting some eye-opening figures from their recent research project, sharing pieces of the report Soteria will release early 2024. It’s critical...
2023-12-0536 min
The eVTOL Insights PodcastEpisode 116: Sarah Taylor, Aerospace Recruitment Consultant, Strativ GroupIn this episode, we catch up with Sarah on Strativ Group's continued efforts to power ahead in terms of recruitment in the AAM industry.
She tells us about her role and the current projects the company is working on, as well as giving her thoughts on a fascinating article by Strativ, which focuses on bringing more women into aerospace.
Sarah talks about the need to recruit a future workforce for AAM and gives her top trends and also talks about Strativ's 'Female Influencers', where the company talks to some of the leading women working in this market.
2023-11-3018 minTake Charge PodcastEp 5: Say hello to TELO, the Mini EV Pickup TruckTelo Trucks Take Charge in this episode, as I’m joined by Co-Founders, Jason Marks (CEO) who appears on the left of the screen and Forrest North (CTO) on the right. We talk about the EV Truck market and their mini-EV Truck, which is designed by the world-renowned designer Yves Behar, who is also a Co-Founder, as well as the Chief Creative Officer at Telo. I really enjoyed talking to the guys about how trucks got so big in North America, the safety and efficiency issues it has brought and how the EV truck market needs to become more human ce...
2023-11-2855 minTake Charge PodcastEp 4: Li-Metal - Technology, Local Supply Chain and Operations InsightsThe Chief Operating Officer of Li-Metal; Keshav Kochhar joins on this episode to talk through their anode, PVD and reprocessing technologies, whilst highlighting the importance of local supply chain due to recent tightening on graphite export from China.Coming from a diverse industry background, Keshav also shares his transition into battery technologies, whilst providing insight into building operational functions such as HR and supply chain, highlighting when to bring operational functions in-house and how to build a culture for success. Keshav, it’s time to Take Charge! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
2023-11-2158 minTake Charge PodcastEp 3: Career & Culture Lessons from a Battery CEOTodd Peters has been a senior leader at the likes of Intel, Microsoft and most recently; BrightVolt. His experience of working in large companies amongst leaders such as Andy Grove, whilst also leading agile start-ups has allowed him to gain a unique perspective. Todd imparts career and culture advice during two sections of this conversation; the first part is all about providing career advice to battery professionals, do I stay in academia or go into industry? Do I join a small or large company? How can I develop and thrive as a professional in the battery space? etc. In the 2...
2023-11-131h 03Take Charge PodcastEp 2: NMA Cathodes, Let's Get Positive!The Co-Founder & CEO of TexPower EV Technologies joins me in today's very cathode conversation. TexPower builds upon innovations led by the late Prof. John B. Goodenough and Prof. Arumugam Manthiram, who is also the Chairman and Co-Founder of TexPower. Evan shares the story of founding a battery start-up just before the pandemic, whilst advising on raising investment, the benefits of NMA cathodes, completing a PhD, forming partnerships and much more. Evan, it's your time to Take Charge! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-11-1353 minTake Charge PodcastEp 1: SES AI - From Start-Up to Scale-UpThe VP of Growth Operations at SES AI, Aseem Juneja is our esteemed guest on this episode. Aseem talks us through the challenges and essentials when growing battery teams, whilst sharing his experience of scaling SES AI from 19 to over 260 people. We also highlight the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion when scaling, creating a positive culture to help start ups thrive! Aseem, it's time to Take Charge! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-11-1238 min
The Aviation RenaissanceFrom Sports Psychology to AerospaceSpencer talks with Edie Wiseberg from Strativ Group about her childhood, competitive rowing, college and the need for a more sustainable future within the aerospace industry. #epsenergy #rowing #manchester #innovation #strativgroup #veteran #FIA2022 #womeninaviation
2022-08-0330 min
The eVTOL Insights PodcastEpisode 71: Alex Woodhead, Co-Owner and Director at Strativ GroupIn this episode, Alex talks to us about the rapid growth of global recruitment firm Strativ Group since it was formed in 2018.
He goes into detail about the role it is playing to help recruit and retain the best talent in the eVTOL aircraft industry. He also shares insights into the current status of recruitment, how COVID-19 has changed company attitudes to remote working, and whether the recent SPAC deals has acted as a catalyst for those wanting to come and work in this exciting market.
2022-03-1817 min