2026年 アジェンダ
Venture, Innovation & Partnering Conferenceは、International Battery Seminarと併催される2日間のイベントで、バッテリー製造・OEMセクターのCEO、創業者、投資家、上級エグゼクティブが一堂に会します。今年は、顧客ニーズに真に応えるイノベーションとテクノロジーへの投資の重要性を探るとともに、現在・新興の投資対象分野とディスラプションが起こりそうなバッテリービジネスモデルを明らかにします。会議では、シリーズAおよびBの資金調達の課題について深く掘り下げ、欧米にとって最も効果的なバッテリー戦略は何かを検証します。サプライチェーンの複雑さと製造のスケールアップが主なハイライトです。魅力的なパネルディスカッション、ファイヤーサイドチャットに加え、1対1・グループでのネットワーキングの機会が数多く用意されています。興味深いトピックを取り上げますので、皆様のご参加を心よりお待ちしております！
Monday, March 23
1:50 pmRegistration Open and Afternoon Coffee / Welcome to Venture, Innovation & Partnering
Battery Report 2025: The Ebbs & Flows of Financial Capital
Michael Liu, Director, Research & Insights, Volta Foundation
The global battery industry is exiting its volume-at-all-costs phase and entering a capital-disciplined, margin-defined cycle. This session serves as an overview & reframes the past year’s developments through a business and financial lens, tracking how market growth, policy architecture, and cross-border investment are reshaping competitive advantage. We begin with the macro landscape, outlining how end-market demand, technology mix, and regional supply-demand balances are evolving and what that implies for pricing and utilization. We then examine the capital story-where investment is concentrating or retreating, and the drivers behind those shifts-including policy-linked incentives, cross-border flows, and changing conditions in equity and debt markets. Finally, we will recap how capital is being deployed in new application verticals to support storage in the energy gauntlet.
Preparing for Diligence: Tips and Lessons LearnedBill Grigos, Patent Attorney, Medler Ferro Woodhouse & Mills
Bill Grigos will discuss how start-ups can prepare for diligence, whether as part of a fund-raise, collaboration, or exit, focusing on intellectual property issues. The discussion will address when and how to begin, strategies for success and pitfalls to avoid.
Powering AI-Next-Gen Batteries as Compute Enablers in the AI Era
Katherine He, Investor, TDK Ventures Inc.
AI data centers are transforming into power-hungry “AI factories,” creating extreme electrical environments that legacy storage and UPS systems were never designed for. This session highlights the rising role of batteries as compute enablers-from BESS to UPS to integrated rack-level BBUs-and why the next wave of cell innovation must prioritize high-power density, resilience, and reliability. We’ll also explore how this market offers battery manufacturers a rare combination of scale and premium margins, outpacing EV and traditional ESS economics.
The Evolution of Capital Markets and the Data Center Industry
Alexandra Manoloff, Head of Battery Coverage for North America, Barclays Investment Bank, Energy Transition Group
As the data center landscape continues to evolve, power - outside and within - has become ever-critical. And batteries are at the foundation of this - for every duration, ranging from pulsing to backup power and energy storage. As we settle into a new normal around the building, power procurement and operations of data centers in a world with hyperscalers, the lines between white space and gray space have become blurry, and the need for and premium placed on innovation for power has become exponentially important. The finance world is very focused on this as well, and capital markets surrounding the data center industry continue to evolve.
Battery Infrastructure : A Critical Investment Priority
Jun Sup Shin, Battery Strategic Partnership Advocate
The continued digitization of data and the explosive adoption of AI in all aspects of private and commercial applications are driving unprecedented energy demands in data centers. Battery systems-rack-level BBUs and facility-scale BESS-are essential to maintaining reliable operations, yet their strategic importance is sometimes underappreciated. While batteries are often viewed as commoditized components, rapid innovation in battery technology suggests they deserve greater attention. The urgency to deploy AI and data centers on schedule, combined with cost considerations, can create challenges for thorough battery design and validation. Decision-makers should balance these pressures by recognizing that proven technologies offer stability, while new solutions may bring meaningful advancements. To promote resilience and safety, it is recommended that customers and investors implement performance metrics designed to incentivize vendors who provide advanced, dependable, and safe battery solutions. At the same time, they should also invest in vendors pursuing creative innovations in battery chemistry and system architecture, pushing the boundaries to optimize performance, safety, and cost.
Bridging the Gap between GPUs and the Grid-Powering AI Data Centers with Next-Gen Batteries
Katherine He, Investor, TDK Ventures Inc.
This panel will examine how the explosive growth of AI data centers is reshaping the requirements for next-generation battery and high-power energy storage technologies. We will discuss the uncertainty around chemistry direction, safety expectations, permitting, and what it takes to scale energy storage to support hyperscale compute. Our speakers will explore where the IT industry is heading, how to productize reliable energy storage systems for data-center loads, and what innovations are required to bridge the gap between GPUs and the grid.
4:45 pmWelcome Reception (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
5:45 pmClose of Day
Tuesday, March 24
8:00 amRegistration and Morning Coffee
8:30 amOpening Remarks from the Organizer
8:40 amMarket Strategy Overview (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
Raising the Capital to Commercialize Technology-Fund Deep Tech to Scale
James Frith, Principal, Volta Energy Technologies
As government support fades and EV skepticism rises, Series B funding challenges signal a critical juncture for battery tech. To advance, the sector must attract deep tech investors-those backing AI, quantum, and advanced materials-into battery innovation across hardware, software, and AI tools. Disruption opportunities abound in outdated business models through disintermediation, novel contracting, and strategic partnerships, offering new paths to scale and profitability.
10:00 amNetworking Coffee Break
New Markets for Battery-Needs and Gaps, Let’s Think Differently
Kyle Teamey, Managing Partner, Planetary Health, RA Capital
Markets for batteries continue to grow rapidly, and we are seeing opportunities for innovators to deliver targeted solutions that address real customer needs. As the grid is pushed to its limit by growing energy demand, entrepreneurs have opportunities both in front of and behind the meter. At the same time, the aerospace and defense sectors may present opportunities for advanced energy systems to unlock new capabilities. Drones, in particular, may represent an entry point for novel battery technologies. How should entrepreneurs address growing and emerging opportunities?
11:20 amEmerging Company Showcase (Sponsorship Opportunities Available)
Where Innovation Still Matters: Charting the Future of Western Battery Leadership
Josh Stiling, Investment Director, Anzu Partners
As venture capital retreats, policy support fades, and EV OEMs tighten their risk tolerance, new demand is rising from energy storage, defense, and aerospace. Which battery innovations can seize these near-term opportunities and scale to global markets-and where should the West focus its efforts versus yield to the East?
12:20 pmNetworking Lunch and Themed Table Discussions and Meetups (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
Manufacturing Scale-Up-Where Startups can "Go Big" and win
Eric Rosenblum, Managing Partner, Foothill Ventures
Many of the most important battery innovations have originated in the US, but scaled in China and elsewhere. US research centers have not stopped innovating, and there has been an explosion of battery start-ups in the US. However, it is clear that we still lack battery manufacturing experience and scale.
2:15 pmEmerging Company Showcase (Sponsorship Opportunities Available)
What is the Future Battery Strategy for the West in the Next Five Years?-Domestic Supply Chain & Beyond
Ken Hoffman, Founder & CEO, Traubenbach
While the world has talked about localization over the past few years, 2025 was the year when it became imperative to localize. The question for the battery supply chain is how to set up a non-Chinese-based value chain, given that so little of it currently exists. The panelists have been building this value chain and are showing OEM's from EV's to drones, to stationary storage. We will explore multiple avenues to bring this value chain to local markets and how cross-border partnerships remain crucial to success. Often, innovation, creative thinking, and excellent execution are enough to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles faced today.
4:45 pmEmerging Company Showcase (Sponsorship Opportunities Available)
Material Informatics and AI in Battery Discovery: Is the Hype Real yet?-A Road Map
Anil Achyuta, Partner, Energy Impact Partners
Advances in graph neural networks, density functional theory models, and large-scale simulation are reshaping how new materials and chemistries are discovered. After decades of promise, we may finally be approaching true rational chemistry design-where AI meaningfully compresses experimental cycles rather than simply accelerating data analysis. This panel will examine whether that inflection point is real, and what it means for commercialization timelines in energy, manufacturing, and climate technologies. We’ll explore case studies of startups using AI for materials discovery, highlighting what has worked, what hasn’t, and where bottlenecks remain. Discussion will include the rising cost of compute, how teams balance simulation with wet-lab iteration, and the emerging role of autonomous labs. Panelists will also address how AI integrates into existing scientific workflows, from hypothesis generation to verification, and how these systems shift the role of scientists and engineers. Together, we’ll map out what is hype, what is real, and what breakthroughs are needed to make AI-driven materials development a reliable industrial engine.
5:35 pmReception (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
6:20 pmClose of Conference
* 不測の事態により、事前の予告なしにプログラムが変更される場合があります。
Talk Title to be Announced