Swedish battery technology firm Holyvolt has finalised the acquisition of US-based materials specialist Wildcat Discovery Technologies in a deal valued at USD 73 million. The transaction consists of a combination of cash, equity and deferred milestone payments.
The merger integrates Wildcat’s High Throughput Platform (HTP) for material synthesis with Holyvolt’s water-based screen-printing production processes. The combined entity intends to operate as a technology development partner for the automotive, aerospace and energy storage sectors, offering licensing and pilot-scale production services.
Wildcat’s HTP system allows for the simultaneous screening of thousands of material combinations. This method is reported to be up to 10 times faster than standard research and development protocols, generating terabyte-scale datasets suitable for machine learning and AI applications.
Key capabilities of the integrated group include:
- Material Discovery: Use of combinatorial chemistry to identify optimal battery systems.
- Manufacturing Process: Holyvolt’s water-based processing serves as a replacement for conventional organic solvent-based slurries.
- Data-Driven Optimisation: Integration of structured datasets into AI models to accelerate development cycles.
- Sustainability: Focus on cobalt- and nickel-free materials to reduce capital requirements and supply chain dependencies.
The acquisition follows a EUR 20 million funding round for Holyvolt. The new group aims to address production costs and supply chain independence in Europe and North America by combining chemistry expertise with modular manufacturing technology.
Mathias Ingvarsson, Founder & CEO, Holyvolt, said, “The acquisition of Wildcat is a perfect complement to our intended strategy of developing new technologies for the battery industry. Holyvolt is focused on developing new processes to make batteries cleaner and more affordable, and Wildcat has been pursuing the same goals via materials development and better chemistry. Combined, we are building what we believe is the most compelling technology to deliver on these objectives.”
Mark Gresser, President and CEO, Wildcat Discovery Technologies, stated, “The Wildcat team is thrilled with this acquisition by Holyvolt. Mathias and team are very thoughtful with regard to their objectives in the battery industry, and recognise the value that Wildcat’s High Throughput Platform can deliver to our combined company and the industry at large. With Holyvolt’s vision and financial backing, Wildcat can finally unlock the true potential of high throughput combinatorial chemistry for battery materials.”
Prof. Peter Schultz, Founder, Wildcat Discovery Technologies, noted, “With Holyvolt, we can do for batteries what high throughput and AI have done for drug discovery.”
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