
AM Batteries names Dr. Franz Fink as Chief Commercial Officer to accelerate DBE 2.0 commercialization
AM Batteries hires commercial lead to drive DBE 2.0 market entry
AM Batteries has appointed Dr. Franz Fink as Chief Commercial Officer to push its next-generation dry-electrode system into industrial use. The move intentionally shifts company attention from internal development to partner-facing commercialization and revenue generation.
Fink brings operating experience that links research breakthroughs to factory-scale adoption, providing AMB access to OEM procurement channels and manufacturing decision-makers. His background shortens the sales cycle for advanced process equipment and cell qualification discussions.
AMB positions its DBE 2.0 Powder-to-Electrode approach as a purpose-built replacement for wet coating and earlier dry adaptations, highlighting lower process complexity, reduced solvent handling, and smaller energy footprints. The technology pitch targets both cost-per-kWh and factory-capex per unit.
Operationally, the company will use senior commercial leadership to convert demonstrations into pilot lines, co-development contracts, and paid equipment demonstrators. Expect deal activity to concentrate on a handful of strategic cell manufacturers over the next year.
If pilots validate claimed gains, AMB’s platform could unlock new electrode geometries that boost cell energy density and ease migration to solid-state architectures. That outcome would create demand for specialized dry-coating machinery and integration services.
The timing aligns with OEMs seeking lower-emission manufacturing routes and investors favoring capital-efficient scaling plays. AMB’s proposition also addresses regulatory and supply-chain strains tied to solvent handling at large wet-coating plants.
For startup investors and competitors, the hire reduces commercial execution risk and signals that AMB expects near-term revenue-generating partnerships. For established cell producers, it increases the urgency to test alternatives or defend legacy wet-coating assets.
Read Our Expert Analysis
Create an account or login for free to unlock our expert analysis and key takeaways for this development.
By continuing, you agree to receive marketing communications and our weekly newsletter. You can opt-out at any time.
Recommended for you
Solid‑state battery milestones accelerate path to limited commercial EV deployments
Recent technical and commercial moves by several automakers and startups indicate solid‑state cells are moving from laboratory curiosities toward small‑scale production and pilot vehicle deployments. These advances arrive amid competing near‑term improvements — structural, pack‑level designs and fast‑charge lithium‑ion chemistries — meaning early solid‑state adoption will be niche, premium‑focused and decided more by manufacturing and supply‑chain practicality than by cell chemistry alone.

Carbon Upcycling names Markus Kritzler CEO to accelerate commercial rollout in Canada and beyond
Carbon Upcycling has appointed Markus Kritzler as CEO to lead the company’s transition from pilot validation to industrial-scale cementitious production, following an $18 million financing round. The leadership change and capital injection aim to fast-track a first full-scale plant in Mississauga in 2026 and pursue a five‑year target of 5 million tonnes of annual clean cementitious capacity.

China BCI Industry Accelerates Toward Commercial Scale
China’s BCI ecosystem is shifting from lab projects to market-ready products as policy, clinical throughput, and targeted capital converge. Key signals: an 11.6 billion CNY brain science fund, >50 implantable trials by mid‑2025, and $48M–$287M financings that together compress commercialization timelines for neurotech.
Thin activated‑carbon shell boosts sodium‑anode formation efficiency nearly fourfold, accelerating commercialization
German researchers developed a core‑shell anode that raises initial usable capacity in sodium‑ion cells from about 18% to roughly 82%, addressing a major formation loss. This materials advance reduces a key manufacturing barrier and strengthens prospects for sodium chemistry in both grid storage and vehicle applications.

Apptronik secures $520M to accelerate commercial rollout of Apollo humanoids
Apptronik closed a $520 million financing at about a $5 billion valuation, expanding its Series A to $935 million and tapping Google DeepMind technology to ready its Apollo humanoid for broader deployment. The capital will fund production scale-up, expanded facilities in Austin and California, and deeper software and fleet-data work to improve autonomy amid competitive pressure from lower-priced and fast-to-market robotic entrants.
NEO Battery, Korea Zinc and Taesung launch joint effort to commercialize composite copper foil for drones and micromobility
NEO Battery Materials has signed an MOU with Korea Zinc and Taesung to develop and commercialize composite copper current collectors that aim to cut weight and copper usage while improving thermal and mechanical behavior for drone, robotics and micromobility batteries. NEO’s recent in-house rapid prototyping of lithium-ion cells and progress to pack-level trials lends practical integration experience that could help accelerate composite-foil validation, though the foil program remains focused on bench and pilot demonstrations before any scale-up.

Industrial Accelerator Act drives Union content criteria to onshore EU battery manufacturing
The Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) is being reframed to make Union content rules the primary tool for converting EV subsidies into guaranteed offtake for European cells, cathodes and recycled inputs. Expect modest near-term retail price effects (€650–€1,600 per vehicle) but faster commissioning of midstream plants, stronger recycling markets and tighter FDI screening — provided the Commission pairs content rules with targeted financing, infrastructure and workforce measures.

Utility Global Secures $100M First-Close to Scale H2Gen Commercial Rollout
Utility Global closed the initial tranche of a Series D for $100 million to fund global roll-out of its proprietary H2Gen electrochemical systems. The capital will expand manufacturing, strengthen project delivery, and accelerate commercial deployments across the Americas, Europe, and Asia with institutional backers Ara Partners and APG backing the round.