Pava Partners advised the technology startup NorcSi, based in Halle (Saale), on a growth financing round. The funding was provided by existing investors Millennium Venture Capital AG (“Millennium Venture Capital”) and the IBG Venture Capital Fund IV, which is managed by bmp Ventures AG (“bmp Ventures”). In addition, the European Battery Research Institute GmbH (“European Battery Research Institute”), joined as a new investor.

The funds will be used, among other things, to build and operate a high-capacity system to produce battery anodes made of pure silicon. With this, NorcSi is setting new standards on two fronts. First, it can be considered the first company worldwide to move from pilot-scale production of individual anodes to fully automated industrial roll-to-roll manufacturing of pure silicon anodes. And second, the use of pure silicon in batteries for electric vehicles enables driving ranges of over 1,000 kilometers and charging times of under ten minutes.

Silicon as a game changer in the battery production

The use of silicon as an anode material is set to revolutionize the battery industry. For this reason, NorcSi focuses on silicon in the production of anodes, particularly for high-performance batteries such as those used in electric vehicles. Silicon offers multiple advantages: due to its atomic structure, it can absorb up to ten times more lithium ions than graphite, which remains the most widely used anode material today. In addition, silicon enables faster charging and, when considering its capacity to store greater amounts of energy, is significantly more cost-effective than graphite. This is also due to the fact that, unlike graphite, silicon is available globally and its extraction is not confined to specific regions. Moreover, the use of silicon contributes substantially to resource efficiency, as less raw material is required to achieve the same battery capacity. These characteristics make silicon a highly sought-after material for battery development, and a focus of intensive research by both startups and established companies worldwide.

Battery cells produced by NorcSi have already demonstrated a doubling of volumetric energy density in tests compared to graphite-based cells and support a charging rate of 6 C. The technological advantages become particularly evident in the context of electric vehicles, where the battery accounts for a significant share of both the cost and performance of the vehicle. A mid-size electric vehicle equipped with a standard battery currently achieves an average capacity of 80 kWh, corresponding to a range of approximately 560 kilometers, and can be charged from 20% to 80% in 26 minutes. By using silicon, the battery’s capacity can be nearly doubled to 145 kWh without increasing its physical size, enabling a range of 1,016 kilometers. Furthermore, a silicon-based battery can be charged from 20% to 80% in just 6 minutes. The significantly lower material requirements, combined with the increased energy capacity, are expected to reduce battery costs in the future.

Scaled production enabled by the use of established industrial processes

There are already approaches for producing silicon-based or silicon-coated anodes, such as silicon-graphite composites. What sets NorcSi’s patented technology apart is its ability to stabilize the volume expansion typically experienced by silicon during charging and discharging, achieved through a cost-efficient manufacturing process. NorcSi utilizes a continuous process in which copper foils are coated and tempered with silicon. In this process, high-performance flash lamps create a unique nanostructure that forms a stable bond between copper and silicon. This enables, for the first time, the industrial-scale production of stable silicon anodes using a roll-to-roll manufacturing line. This pioneering technology earned the company the 2024 IQ Innovation Award for Central Germany, notably in the field of automotive applications.

NorcSi successfully demonstrated the feasibility of roll-to-roll production on industrial machinery as early as 2022, in collaboration with TU Bergakademie Freiberg. The process involves feeding in copper foil and silicon on one side and delivering finished anode material on the other. This confirmed that the technology can be integrated into existing manufacturing systems and that there are no remaining barriers to scaling up production. The facility currently under construction, featuring a roll width of 400 mm, is designed to produce anodes for initial high-performance applications and field tests in passenger car batteries. It is being built as part of a new extension to the Innovation Hub at the Weinberg Campus in Halle and is scheduled to begin operations in spring 2026, supplying partners in the battery and automotive industries. With this, NorcSi is paving the way for a new era of high-performance, resource-efficient battery technologies made in Germany.

NorcSi on Pava Partners

“This financing round marks a major milestone towards scaling our core technology,” says Dr. Marcel Neubert, Founder and CTO of NorcSi. Udo Reichmann, Founder and CEO of NorcSi, adds: “Pava Partners has been supporting our growth for some time now with deep expertise in both technology and financing and played a key role in making this round possible. Many thanks to this incredible team.”

About NorcSi

NorcSi GmbH has its origins in an interdisciplinary research project launched in 2013 by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TU Bergakademie Freiberg). The founders and managing directors, Udo Reichmann and Dr. Marcel Neubert, established NorcSi in 2020 with the aim of translating scientific insights from materials research into practical applications. In doing so, they draw on decades of experience in specialized plant engineering for the photovoltaics and high-tech sectors.

More information at norcsi.net.

About bmp Ventures

bmp Ventures is one of the most experienced venture capital investors in Germany and has more than 250 investments in almost all technology segments, with the majority in the early stages. In addition to direct investments, bmp has also managed venture capital funds for the KfW banking group and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft. bmp currently manages the IBG fund in Saxony-Anhalt and employs around 20 members of staff at its offices in Berlin and Magdeburg.

For more information visit www.bmp.com.

About the IBG Funds

The IBG funds, based in Magdeburg, are the venture capital funds of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. They provide equity capital to young, innovative technology companies with above-average growth potential headquartered in Saxony-Anhalt. At the end of 2023, the new venture capital fund RKF IV was launched with a volume of €63 million. The fund is financed by the state of Saxony-Anhalt and the European Union and invests in startups in the seed, early-stage, and growth phases. The IBG funds are managed by bmp Ventures AG.