Connecting Battery-Recycling Startups with Industrial Demand

Give the conversation a clear starting point

A startup can have a promising technology and still struggle to reach the right industrial audience. A defined customer brief helps focus that conversation: what problem matters, and how might a proposed solution address it?

At the November 2024 Innovation China Conference, CMVC organized a battery-material decarbonization challenge with BAT. Eight technology companies presented their approaches to an industrial judging panel.

An audience that could ask relevant questions

Participants had a short presentation slot that included questions from the judges. The panel brought perspectives from BAT, LG Energy Solution, Heraeus, CMVC and Apex.

For entrepreneurs, the opportunity was to explain their approach in the language of an industrial need and hear questions from people assessing its relevance. A focused exchange can reveal what deserves further discussion and what evidence would help.

Different approaches to recycling

Green Li-ion received the first prize for its battery-recycling solution. ToDawn Technology and Botree took the second and third prizes. Their approaches illustrated different ways to recover or regenerate useful battery materials.

The awards recognized the presentations at the challenge. The original account described the possibility of further discussions with BAT; it did not establish that a commercial partnership had been completed.

From an event to a useful next conversation

The value of the format extends beyond the prize. It connects a technology team with an industrial problem and creates a setting for a more specific exchange.

CMVC’s role was to convene that meeting point. The founders brought their technologies and the industrial participants brought their questions and application knowledge. That combination helps entrepreneurs explore where their work might fit.

Xiwen Qing’s advice for startups on working with large enterprises ↗