Nov. 6, 2025 – New Energy New York (NENY), led by Binghamton University in partnership with the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST), is proud to announce the eight recipients of the third round of the NENY Technical Assistance Program. The program is designed to advance new battery technologies and expand the growing energy storage innovation ecosystem in upstate New York by supporting startups and small businesses in their efforts to de-risk technology, scale and advance manufacturing readiness.

“We are dedicated to fostering innovation and advancing battery and energy storage technologies in New York state,” said Bandhana Katoch, associate vice president of Technology Commercialization and Economic Development at Binghamton University, home to the NENY program. “By building strong collaborations with regional partners, this program enables emerging battery companies to accelerate technology development, unlocking innovative solutions that drive sustainable growth and reinforce New York’s leadership in clean energy and sustainability.”

Under this program, companies can request funding to offset the costs associated with testing, prototyping, certification and related services from qualified New York-based providers, including at university centers and for-profit entities. Such services can be cost-prohibitive and even a valley of death for small to medium-sized businesses, hindering the validation and advancement of technological innovations. Getting these innovations to market is crucial for NENY’s mission to build a sustainable and secure supply chain for the U.S. battery and energy storage industry, and investing in the advancement of New York companies selected for the Technical Assistance Program is an important step toward that collective goal.

 “The NENY Technical Assistance program is accelerating the commercialization of products from high-potential startup companies by catalyzing business relationships with key product development and testing resources,” said William Acker, executive director of NY-BEST. “Concurrently advancing new energy storage innovations and the ecosystem, this program is an important part of our efforts to grow the energy storage industry in New York State.”

The program specifically achieves this by awarding grants to cover costs for testing, prototyping, and certification services provided by approved vendors and facilities, such as the NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage, Rochester Institute of Technology’s Battery Prototyping Center, Eastman Kodak Company, TÜV Rheinland of North America, Inc. and Custom Electronics, Inc. Companies can gain access to these resources at a reduced cost, enabling them to accelerate their innovation efforts.

“This program also allows companies to get critical data to go to the next stage, which can advance their products to be certified, de-risked or closer to commercial use,” said M. Stanley Whittingham, SUNY distinguished professor of Chemistry at Binghamton University, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in the development of lithium-ion batteries. “Our goal is to accelerate the most promising, next-generation solutions along the path to creating ‘Batteries made in America by Americans.’”

Following a rigorous evaluation by the review panel, eight companies were selected to receive a total of nearly $500,000 in awards, empowering them to utilize essential services that help further develop their technologies.

The third-round Technical Assistance awardees are:

  • Amel Energy, Koffman Southern Tier Incubator ChargeUp program alum, develops non-toxic, PFAS-free solvent and binder systems for lithium-ion battery cathodes. The supported project will work to assemble and test battery prototypes using Amel’s sustainable binder technology, demonstrating a drop-in alternative to fluorinated binders and accelerating commercialization.
  • FastLion Energy, Koffman Southern Tier Incubator ChargeUp program alum headquartered in State College, Pa., is developing lithium-ion battery systems capable of operating at temperatures as low as –60 °C using its proprietary intra-cell heating technology, 30x™. The supported project will integrate this technology into Eastman Kodak’s Rochester manufacturing line to accelerate production readiness for defense and Arctic applications.
  • Fermi Energy, a Binghamton-based member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator and ChargeUp program alum, is pioneering cobalt- and nickel-free disordered rock-salt (DRX) cathode materials made from abundant low-cost elements. The supported project will scale pouch-cell production at Binghamton University’s NECCES facility to validate DRX’s high-energy and fast-charging performance, advancing U.S. leadership in sustainable battery materials.
  • LiNova Energy, with facilities in Peekskill, N.Y., and Monrovia, Calif., is developing a metal-free polymer cathode that eliminates nickel, cobalt and LFP materials. The supported project will work with Harper International and RIT’s Battery Development Center to scale polymer cathode production and conduct UL 9540A safety validation.
  • Ateios Systems, Koffman Southern Tier Incubator ChargeUp program alum partnering with Kodak in Rochester, N.Y., and headquartered in Indiana has developed RaiCure™, a novel e-beam curing platform for battery electrodes that eliminates toxic solvents and reduces manufacturing costs. The supported project will expand pilot manufacturing with Kodak to benchmark RaiCure™ performance against conventional PVDF/NMP-based processes.
  • Torpel LLC, Koffman Southern Tier Incubator ChargeUp program alum, is commercializing high-energy rechargeable zinc-silver oxide batteries that outperform current single-use systems. The supported project will collaborate with Binghamton University’s NECCES to fabricate and validate larger-format prototypes, enabling third-party performance verification and accelerating commercialization.
  • Tyfast Energy Corp., a member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator,is advancing proprietary lithium vanadium oxide (LVO) anode technology for ultra-fast-charging and long-life lithium-ion batteries. Their supported project aims to build on their first NENY Technical Assistance award and partner with Binghamton University’s NECCES to scale up >10 Ah pouch cells and validate enhanced energy density and durability for heavy-duty applications.
  • Viridi Parente Inc., headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., designs and manufactures safe lithium-ion battery energy-storage systems (BESS) for indoor and outdoor installations. The supported project will pursue UL 9540:2023 certification of its RPSLinkEX BESS through TÜV Rheinland, enabling broader market adoption and accelerated product sales.

New Energy New York remains committed to advancing groundbreaking projects and supporting the growth of New York’s battery and energy storage enterprises. To learn more about New Energy New York, visit neny.org.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Kari Bayait
Marketing Communications Manager
New Energy New York
Binghamton University

[email protected]

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