Hosting this podcast was quite challenging for me, as I consider myself a novice when it comes to science. Vivas Kumar of Mitra Chem, a leading authority in battery technology and sustainability in Silicon Valley, has an impressive track record. Having raised over $20M and being incubated out of Chamath Palihapitya‘s family office, Social Capital, his expertise is unquestionable. We dive deep into the emergence of battery technology, de-globalization, and driving the cost of energy down to zero. You can watch and listen to the podcast on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.

What are the ins and outs of investing in clean energy technology and hard tech products? The hard tech products industry is a high-requirement industry that takes time to scale, unlike the soft tech industry, and requires committed and patient investors.

In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Vivas Kumar, the CEO and Founder of Mitra Chem. He’s a business leader and engineer with significant global executive and commercial experience across the electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery industries. Mitra Chem is innovating and commercializing iron-based cathode materials to enable mass-market electrification in transportation and energy storage.

Listen in to learn about the role of the government in the success of platform technology, plus the economic benefits of cheap energy. You will also learn about the difficulty of getting hard tech products out in the world at scale and becoming a category-defining company.

What You Will Discover:

·       [01:18] Vivas explains the three things Mitra Chem is doing in the battery industry.

·       [03:13] The benefits of iron-rich cathode materials over nickel-rich ones in today’s battery market.

·       [07:04] The role of the government in the success of platform technology, plus the economic benefits of cheap energy.

·       [10:47] The three products in Mitra Chem’s portfolio, plus the qualification process to help them go commercial.

·       [15:39] Vivas’s interest in sustainability technology, plus his “trial and fire” approach to the industry.

·       [18:44] The difficulty of getting hard tech products out in the world at scale and becoming a category-defining company.

·       [20:37] He describes the investors who’ve chosen to invest in Mitra Chem’s possibly 10-year journey.

·       [22:59] Mitra Chem’s single-minded focus towards generating cash flow in the next five years.

·       [24:50] Random questions with Vivas!

Memorable Quote:

·       “Getting hard tech products out in the world at scale in a way that makes you become a category-defining company is a very long process in this industry.”– Vivas [19:11]

Connect with Vivas:

·       Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivaswathkumar/

·       LinkedIn:

https://www.mitrachem.com/