Nascent Materials emerges from stealth to make LFP batteries better and cheaper

Nascent Materials, a startup founded by Chaitanya Sharma, has emerged from stealth mode with a novel manufacturing process aimed at improving lithium-ion battery cathodes, specifically lithium-ion-phosphate (LFP) and lithium-manganese-iron-phosphate (LMFP) materials. Sharma, who has experience at Tesla’s Gigafactory and iM3NY, developed a method that can enhance cathode energy density by up to 12% while reducing production costs by 30%. Unlike pursuing new battery chemistries, Nascent focuses on optimizing material processing to achieve more consistent particle size and shape, which improves packing density and overall battery performance. The process also consumes less energy and can utilize lower-purity raw materials, potentially broadening domestic supply sources. Nascent’s approach addresses significant supply chain challenges, particularly the inconsistent quality of cathode materials available to smaller manufacturers, a problem Sharma witnessed firsthand at iM3NY. By providing more reliable and locally sourced materials, Nascent aims to reduce