Nascent Materials, Inc., an advanced battery materials startup, announced today the close of its $2.3 million Seed funding round. The round was led by SOSV, with participation from the New Jersey Innovation Evergreen Fund and UM6P Ventures
NEWARK, N.J., June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Nascent Materials, Inc., an advanced battery materials startup, announced today the close of its $2.3 million Seed funding round. The round was led by SOSV, with participation from the New Jersey Innovation Evergreen Fund and UM6P Ventures.
Today, lithium-ion batteries dominate the energy storage landscape. However, traditional production methods come with major challenges, including limited raw material supply from China, high costs, flammability risks, and energy-intensive synthesis processes. Nascent Materials has developed a proprietary, flexible pCAM-free process for manufacturing cathode materials, critical components of lithium-ion batteries, that addresses these issues. The manufacturing process is designed to be flexible and modular, capable of blending a range of raw materials based on availability. This avoids energy-intensive synthesis methods and reduces dependence on any single input source. This offers several key advantages including significant cost savings during production, reduced energy consumption, and tighter quality control.
The announcement comes amid a national push to reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, namely in China, for strategic battery components. Despite projected demand exceeding 200 GWh, U.S. cell manufacturers continue to face persistent challenges in cost, quality, and supply security.
"Having previously built two gigafactories in the U.S., I've seen firsthand how critical reliable, high-quality cathode materials are to cell manufacturing," said Chaitanya Sharma, Founder and CEO of Nascent Materials. "Nascent is solving a key bottleneck in U.S. electrification by building a domestically rooted alternative to China's battery supply chain, with a focus on scalable, cost-efficient, and sustainable manufacturing."
"Even with proposed rollbacks to battery manufacturing incentives under the current administration, the core challenge of battery production remains: the U.S. must compete with Asia on cost, speed, and scale," said Duncan Turner, General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director at HAX. "Nascent Materials is meeting that challenge with a step-change in manufacturing productivity and a clear path to reshoring battery supply chains. This is exactly the kind of high-impact battery innovation the U.S. needs right now."
Nascent Materials is currently building out a bench-scale manufacturing line capable of producing multiple kilograms of material per batch. The company has already shipped product samples for customer qualification and is fielding growing interest from U.S.-based battery manufacturers eager for local alternatives.
The company was founded in 2024 by Chaitanya Sharma, a cleantech veteran with over a decade of experience across gigafactory construction, advanced materials, and supply chain design. With backing from global and institutional investors, Nascent Materials also plans to explore upstream partnerships for raw material inputs through its relationship with UM6P Ventures, further strengthening its economic and strategic advantage.
"The New Jersey Innovation Evergreen Fund is a groundbreaking program aimed at strengthening New Jersey's economy and backing high-potential startups by creating a self-sustaining cycle of investment for entrepreneurs seeking capital," said Tim Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of the NJEDA. "We are excited to continue supporting Nascent Materials, which has been working out of HAX, an NJEDA-powered Strategic Innovation Center in Newark. This funding provided by the NJIEF program will help bring Nascent Materials' product closer to commercialization."
"Innovating at the materials level is one of the highest-leverage ways to impact the battery value chain," said Sharma. "With this seed round, we're excited to take the next step in building a resilient, homegrown supply of cathode materials that will power America's electrified future."
About Nascent Materials
Nascent Materials, Inc. develops advanced manufacturing technologies to produce cost-effective, high-performance cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Headquartered in Newark, NJ and backed by top-tier investors, the company's mission is to strengthen the U.S. battery supply chain through breakthrough innovation in materials science.
Media Contact
Media Contact
Chaitanya Sharma, Nascent Materials Inc, 1 6508048916, [email protected], nascentmaterials.com
SOURCE Nascent Materials Inc
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