What Lithios does

Lithios Inc. is a Medford, Massachusetts-based clean-technology company commercializing an Advanced Lithium Extraction (ALE) platform that uses lithium-selective battery electrodes to extract lithium directly from brine while rejecting competing ions, suspended solids, and dissolved gases. The electrochemical process, developed by MIT scientists, is engineered to be brine-agnostic—validated on more than 20 brine compositions across four continents spanning oilfield, geothermal, continental (salar), and oil & gas produced water feeds—and is offered in a modular, scalable "ALE Pack" stack architecture that the company claims delivers up to 40% lower production cost, 45% fewer processing steps than adsorption DLE, 70% lower reagent use, and 95% less solid waste than conventional extraction methods.

Lithios generates revenue through direct enterprise sales of ALE systems and via technology licensing and partnerships with resource owners, project developers, and strategic operators in the lithium, oil & gas, and geothermal sectors. Its go-to-market is B2B field sales targeting lithium producers in the United States and allied nations, including active engagement with the emerging South Arkansas / Smackover Formation cluster (alongside Exxon, Chevron, and Standard Lithium via the Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator) and a deployed field pilot with an unnamed key U.S. lithium producer. The company is led by founder and CEO Mohammad (Mo) Alkhadra, operates with 11–50 employees, and is funded by a $12M seed / $2M venture debt round (Oct-2024) and up to $60M in federal grants (DOE SCALEUP Ready $40M shared with Deep Isolation; ARPA-E up to $20M), positioning it to scale ALE from pilot to thousands of tons of lithium carbonate annually.

Name

Lithios

Legal name

Lithios Inc.

Website

https://lithios.xyz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lithios Inc. is a Medford, Massachusetts clean-technology company that builds modular electrochemical Advanced Lithium Extraction (ALE) systems using lithium-selective battery electrodes to recover lithium from oilfield, geothermal, salar, and produced-water brines, sold to lithium producers and resource developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Technology

akta.pro primary industry

Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction (IMAKAFAA)

Keywords

• Direct lithium extraction
• Lithium extraction technology
• Electrochemical extraction
• Brine processing systems
• Clean energy minerals

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. ALE System Sales: Lithios sells its Advanced Lithium Extraction (ALE) pack systems to lithium producers. The systems are modular and scalable, allowing deployment across different project sizes. Revenue is generated through the sale of electrochemical extraction systems.
2. Technology Licensing and Partnerships: Lithios partners with resource owners, project developers, and strategic operators to unlock lithium resources, potentially through licensing arrangements for their ALE technology.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lithios designs, develops, and sells electrochemical Advanced Lithium Extraction (ALE) systems that use lithium-selective battery electrodes to extract lithium directly from brine sources, including oilfield, geothermal, continental (salar), and oil & gas produced water brines. The company delivers these systems to lithium producers and resource owners as modular ALE Packs that scale with project size, enabling commercial lithium production at lower cost and with reduced reagents, waste, and processing steps. Lithios also partners with strategic operators on licensing and co-deployment arrangements to unlock previously uneconomical brine resources.

Product overview

Lithios offers the Advanced Lithium Extraction (ALE) Platform as its core technology, a scalable electrochemical system that extracts lithium from various brine sources including oilfield, geothermal, continental (salar), and oil & gas produced water. The company also provides the ALE Pack, a modular deployment unit built with a stack architecture for scalability and efficient operations. Together, these products enable lithium extraction at up to 40% lower cost with 45% fewer processing steps, 70% reduction in reagent use, and 95% less solid waste compared to conventional methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advanced Lithium Extraction (ALE) Platform Brine-agnostic electrochemical extraction system that uses lithium-selective battery electrodes to extract lithium directly from brine while leaving contaminants behind, enabling commercial production at up to 40% lower cost with 45% fewer processing steps than adsorption DLE, 70% reduction in reagent use, and 95% less solid waste. Targeted at lithium producers and resource owners.
• ALE Pack Modular, scalable extraction unit engineered for durability, fast commissioning, and efficient operations, with a stack architecture that allows systems to scale as projects expand with minimal customization. Designed for deployment at lithium production sites across oilfield, geothermal, salar, and produced water brine sources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 40% lower production cost compared to conventional lithium extraction methods
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator (ALTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTA is the nation's first program focused on building an independent lithium-ion battery supply chain. Created by The Venture Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, the accelerator connects startups with state officials and major lithium producers including Exxon, Chevron, and Standard Lithium establishing operations in South Arkansas.
• The Venture CentermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Venture Center in Little Rock, Arkansas created and operates ALTA (Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator), the nation's first program focused on building an independent lithium-ion battery supply chain for emerging lithium technologies.
• ExxonMobilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExxon is establishing lithium operations in South Arkansas as part of the emerging lithium ecosystem. Lithios participates in ALTA which connects startups with major lithium producers including Exxon.
• ChevronmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChevron is establishing lithium operations in South Arkansas as part of the emerging lithium ecosystem. Lithios participates in ALTA which connects startups with major lithium producers including Chevron.
• Standard LithiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStandard Lithium is establishing operations in South Arkansas as a major lithium producer. Lithios participates in ALTA which connects startups with major lithium producers including Standard Lithium.
• Menen GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMenen Group is another lithium technology company participating in the second cohort of the Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator alongside Lithios.
• Tyfast EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTyfast Energy is another lithium technology company participating in the second cohort of the Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator alongside Lithios.
• Key lithium producer in the United StatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLithios is already operating in the field with a key lithium producer in the United States. The company is working across the industry to build a resilient lithium supply chain in the United States and allied nations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Battery Metals (IBAT): Direct competitor in modular direct lithium extraction systems for brine resources. IBAT has commercialized its own extraction technology and competes head-to-head with Lithios for lithium producer customers in North America.
• Lilac Solutions: Direct competitor offering ion-exchange-based direct lithium extraction technology for lithium brine developers. Lilac targets the same customer base of lithium producers and has secured strategic backing from major mining and battery players.
• Standard Lithium: Direct competitor in direct lithium extraction from Smackover Formation brines in Arkansas. Both companies target lithium producers in the same Arkansas ecosystem and pursue DLE approaches to commercial lithium production, making Standard Lithium the closest publicly-listed comparable.
• Summit Nanotech: Direct competitor developing direct lithium extraction technology for salar brines, primarily in South America's Lithium Triangle. Summit targets similar brine sources and competes with Lithios for lithium producer customers.
• Vulcan Energy Resources: Developer of integrated geothermal lithium extraction in the Upper Rhine Valley, Europe. Vulcan competes with Lithios' geothermal brine offering and is pursuing commercial lithium production from geothermal brines in allied geographies.
• EnergyX: Direct competitor developing lithium extraction and refining technologies, including its LiTAS direct lithium extraction platform. EnergyX targets similar brine sources and has raised significant capital to commercialize competing DLE technology.
• Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR): Geothermal brine lithium extraction developer pursuing integrated lithium and renewable power operations. CTR overlaps with Lithios' geothermal brine use case and represents a competing pathway to commercialize lithium from geothermal resources.

Broad incumbents

• Albemarle: Largest publicly-traded lithium producer globally with established brine operations in Chile and the US. Albemarle is a potential customer, competitor, and benchmark for production economics; any deployment of Lithios' technology would compete against Albemarle's captive extraction capabilities.
• SQM: Major incumbent lithium producer from South American salar brines. SQM represents both a potential competitor for continental brine projects and a benchmark for low-cost lithium production, particularly relevant given Lithios' stated focus on salar brine resources.
• ExxonMobil (Lithium Business): Major oil & gas major pursuing lithium production from Arkansas Smackover brines. ExxonMobil is simultaneously a strategic partner via ALTA and a potential competitor if it elects to deploy internal or alternative DLE technologies rather than adopt Lithios' ALE platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lithios