Litona
Litona GmbH is a German sodium-ion battery startup (KIT spin-off, founded 2023) that develops and supplies Prussian White cathode powder, coated electrodes, and finished battery cells, primarily serving stationary energy storage and industrial battery buyers with a direct, sample-and-quote sales model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersUlm, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Litona does
Litona GmbH is a German battery materials startup founded in 2023 and headquartered in Ulm, operating as a spin-off from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The company develops and manufactures sodium-ion battery cells based on a proprietary Prussian White cathode chemistry, with technology lineage tracing to Prof. Jeff Dahn's laboratory at Dalhousie University. Its portfolio spans three integrated product tiers — Prussian White cathode powder, Prussian White–based coated electrodes, and finished sodium-ion cells — sold under a direct, quote-based engagement model that accommodates lab-scale (<1 kg powder), pilot-scale (<100 kg powder), and commercial-scale (>1000 kg powder) customers.
The company's core technical proposition is the use of locally sourced, abundant raw materials (sodium) to produce cells that eliminate dependence on critical raw materials, with claimed specifications of up to 160 Wh/kg energy density, up to 7,000 cycles, up to 3.2 V average voltage, zero-volt discharge capability for safe transport, and LFP-compatible voltage profiles enabling drop-in replacement in existing systems. The go-to-market is a sales-led, direct enterprise model targeting stationary energy storage as the primary use case, with secondary applications in 12V batteries and micro-mobility. Revenue is generated through hardware sales across the three product tiers and professional services for custom cell development, with pricing not publicly disclosed.
Litona is led by co-founders Sebastian Büchele (CTO, ex-Tesla battery researcher) and Tom Bötticher (CEO), with Michael Metzger as Scientific Advisor. The company is backed by Interface Capital and BMFTR/BMBF, and is a member of the SIB:DE consortium — Germany's largest federally funded sodium-ion battery research initiative. It operates from a state-of-the-art research center in Ulm Science Park I and has 1–10 employees.
Litona firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Litona
- Legal name
- Litona GmbH
- Website
- https://litona.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Litona GmbH is a German sodium-ion battery startup (KIT spin-off, founded 2023) that develops and supplies Prussian White cathode powder, coated electrodes, and finished battery cells, primarily serving stationary energy storage and industrial battery buyers with a direct, sample-and-quote sales model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Litona industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sodium-Ion Battery Cells
- NAICS
- Battery Manufacturing (33591), Chemical Manufacturing (325)
- SIC
- Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cathode Active Materials (CAM) Manufacturing (EUAFABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Battery Pack Manufacturing & Module Assembly (EUAFABAI), Battery Cell Manufacturing (EV) (IMACACAB)
Keywords
Where Litona is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ulm
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Litona business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Sodium-Ion Battery Cells: Sale of sodium-ion battery cells developed and manufactured in Germany, tailored to customer specifications or provided as ready-to-use solutions.
- Prussian White Coated Electrodes: Sale of Prussian White-based coated electrodes as intermediate products for battery manufacturers.
- Prussian White Powder: Sale of Prussian White powder, the proprietary cathode active material for sodium-ion batteries.
- Custom Product Development: Development of cells tailored to specific customer specifications, which may include engineering and customization services alongside product delivery.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Litona product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Litona develops and manufactures sodium-ion battery cells, Prussian White-based coated electrodes, and Prussian White cathode powder using a proprietary production process. The company offers cells tailored to customer specifications or ready-to-use solutions across lab, pilot, and commercial scale tiers. Manufacturing is conducted in Germany with locally sourced, abundant raw materials to eliminate dependence on critical raw materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sodium-Ion Battery Cells
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 160 Wh/kg energy density on cell level
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Litona
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Litona technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Litona partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)coreLitona originated from research at KIT and was spun out from the institute. The company continues to collaborate with KIT's research ecosystem. KIT helped develop the Prussian White cathode technology that underpins Litona's products.
- Dalhousie University (Prof. Jeff Dahn Laboratory)coreThe founding idea originated from research at Prof. Jeff Dahn's laboratory at Dalhousie University. The company's core battery technology traces its roots to this research partnership.
- SIB:DE FORSCHUNG (Sodium-Ion Battery Germany Research Consortium)coreLitona is part of SIB:DE, Germany's largest sodium-ion research consortium, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The project evaluates suitability of sodium-ion battery technology for the European energy and mobility transition and aims to achieve rapid industrial implementation.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Litona competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Altris: Swedish developer of Prussian White cathode material for sodium-ion batteries — the same core chemistry Litona uses. Altris is the most direct head-to-head competitor on cathode active material technology and sells into the same European cell manufacturing ecosystem.
- Faradion: UK-based sodium-ion battery cell developer (now part of Reliance New Energy). Faradion is one of the earliest and most-validated Western sodium-ion cell companies, directly comparable in chemistry choice, cell format, and European target customers.
- Tiamat: France-based sodium-ion battery company developing cells for stationary storage and mobility applications. Tiamat is a European peer pursuing similar end-markets to Litona (stationary storage, micro-mobility) and is at a comparable early-to-growth stage.
- Natron Energy: US-based sodium-ion battery company focused on Prussian Blue analogue chemistry (closely related to Prussian White) for stationary storage and data center backup. Natron is a comparable Western sodium-ion cell startup targeting similar industrial customer segments.
- AMTE Power: UK-based developer of next-generation battery cells including sodium-ion technology. AMTE Power is a direct European peer pursuing cell manufacturing for similar use cases (stationary storage, specialty mobility) and competes for the same OEM customers.
- HiNa Battery: China-based sodium-ion battery company spun out of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that has commercialized sodium-ion cells for EVs and stationary storage. HiNa is one of the most operationally proven sodium-ion cell companies globally and a benchmark for commercialization pace.
Broad incumbents
- Northvolt: Swedish battery cell manufacturer building large-scale European gigafactories. Northvolt has publicly explored sodium-ion chemistries alongside its primary LFP/NMC roadmap and represents both a potential customer (for Litona cathode material) and competitor in European cells.
- CATL: World's largest battery cell manufacturer with a commercialized sodium-ion product line (Naxtra). CATL sets the cost and scale benchmark for sodium-ion cells globally and represents the primary long-term competitive threat to European startups like Litona.
- BYD: Chinese battery and EV giant that has publicly demonstrated sodium-ion battery cells for use in its Seagull EV. BYD's vertical integration and scale make it a structural threat to all Western sodium-ion startups.
- Reliance New Energy: Indian conglomerate that acquired Faradion and is investing heavily in sodium-ion and giga-scale battery manufacturing. Reliance represents a potential large-scale Asian competitor with both financial firepower and acquired Western sodium-ion IP.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Litona social profiles
Digital presenceLitona financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Litona leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Litona funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Litona M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Litona
What does Litona do?
Litona develops and manufactures sodium-ion battery cells, Prussian White-based coated electrodes, and Prussian White cathode powder using a proprietary production process. The company offers cells tailored to customer specifications or ready-to-use solutions across lab, pilot, and commercial scale tiers. Manufacturing is conducted in Germany with locally sourced, abundant raw materials to eliminate dependence on critical raw materials.
Is Litona a public or private company?
Litona is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Litona founded?
Litona was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Litona based?
Litona is headquartered in Ulm, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Litona make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Sodium-Ion Battery Cells are the primary driver. The others are prussian White Coated Electrodes, prussian White Powder and custom Product Development.
Who are Litona's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Altris, Faradion, Tiamat, Natron Energy, AMTE Power and HiNa Battery. Broad incumbents are Northvolt, CATL, BYD and Reliance New Energy.
Does Litona have an API?
No public API is recorded for Litona.
What industry is Litona in?
Litona's product category is Sodium-Ion Battery Cells. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAFABAB, Cathode Active Materials (CAM) Manufacturing, with a secondary code of EUAFABAI, Battery Pack Manufacturing & Module Assembly. Its NAICS code is 33591 and its SIC code is 3620.