What Darmok Tech does

DarmokTech is a privately held, pre-commercial battery technology company headquartered in Livermore, California, developing an Anode-Less Sodium Polymer Battery platform for grid-scale long-duration energy storage. The technology replaces conventional hard carbon anodes and copper current collectors with a sodiophilic aluminum current collector that enables direct sodium plating, paired with a non-flammable solid-state polymer electrolyte co-developed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). A proprietary Mechanochemical Fluid Bed (MACFB) process supports vertical integration into carbon-coated nanoscale sodium iron phosphate cathode production, and an LLNL-developed on-demand degradable electrolyte enables disassembly-based circular recycling. The architecture is designed around abundant, domestically sourceable materials (sodium, aluminum, iron) to avoid nickel, cobalt, graphite, and copper dependencies.

The company operates a B2B go-to-market targeting utility and commercial grid-storage customers (primary) and cost-sensitive consumer applications in developing economies such as e-bikes, street vendors, and toys (secondary, evaluation-stage). Revenue mechanics are intended to span battery hardware sales, technology licensing and IP royalties, and professional services for pilot manufacturing line setup, though no commercial contracts or named customers are disclosed. DarmokTech is financed through undisclosed private capital and a California Energy Commission grant, with core R&D collaboration via LLNL and supporting technical advisors from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Enovix, and Invati Capital. Leadership comprises Founder & CEO Deepak Upadhyaya, PhD, MBA, supported by named advisors from the national labs and industry.

Name

Darmok Tech

Legal name

DarmokTech

Website

https://darmoktech.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DarmokTech is a Livermore, California-based pre-commercial battery technology company developing an anode-less sodium polymer battery with a solid-state polymer electrolyte for grid-scale long-duration energy storage, targeting utilities and emerging-market consumer applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grid-Scale Sodium-Ion Battery Energy Storage

NAICS

Battery Manufacturing (33591)

akta.pro primary industry

Battery Cells (Li-ion, LFP, Sodium-ion, Lead-acid, NiMH) (IMAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solid-State Battery Materials & Cell Manufacturing (EUAFABAH), Battery Pack Manufacturing & Module Assembly (EUAFABAI), Battery Manufacturing Equipment & Gigafactory Automation (Coating, Calendering, Stacking/Winding) (EUAFABAM)

Keywords

• Sodium-ion batteries
• Solid-state batteries
• Grid-scale energy storage
• Post-lithium battery technology
• Long-duration energy storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Livermore

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, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Battery Hardware Sales: Sale of anode-less sodium polymer batteries for grid-scale energy storage applications including utility and commercial grid storage, renewable energy time-shifting, and off-grid markets.
2. Technology Licensing and IP: Licensing of technology, intellectual property, and technical expertise to strategic partners to help establish pilot manufacturing lines and accelerate commercialization.
3. Strategic Partnership Services: Technical expertise and support services provided to strategic partners, including help with establishing pilot manufacturing lines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

DarmokTech develops and is commercializing a vertically integrated Anode-Less Sodium Polymer Battery platform for grid-scale, long-duration energy storage. The battery eliminates the conventional hard carbon anode and replaces copper and carbon components with aluminum and abundant sodium-based materials, paired with a non-flammable solid-state polymer electrolyte co-developed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The company also licenses its cell chemistry, MACFB cathode process, and related IP to strategic partners establishing pilot manufacturing lines.

Product overview

Darmok Tech offers a single core product platform: the Anode-Less Sodium Polymer Battery. This vertically integrated battery technology platform eliminates the conventional hard carbon anode, using instead a sodiophilic current collector surface modification that enables uniform sodium plating on aluminum. The platform includes advanced solid-state polymer electrolyte technology (co-developed with LLNL), a proprietary carbon-coated nanoscale sodium iron phosphate cathode produced via the Mechanochemical Fluid Bed (MACFB) process, and intelligent cell architecture managing volume changes during charge/discharge. The technology is optimized for grid-scale multi-hour long-duration energy storage applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anode-Less Sodium Polymer Battery A vertically integrated, sodium-based battery platform that eliminates the conventional hard carbon anode and replaces costly copper and carbon components with aluminum and abundant sodium-based materials, paired with a non-flammable solid-state polymer electrolyte co-developed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Built for utility, commercial, off-grid, and emerging-market customers needing multi-hour long-duration energy storage with domestic/sovereign supply chain and circular disassembly/recovery.
• Technology & IP Licensing for Pilot Manufacturing Licensing of DarmokTech's anode-less sodium battery technology, intellectual property (including the MACFB cathode process and polymer electrolyte know-how), and technical expertise to strategic partners to help establish pilot manufacturing lines and accelerate commercialization of post-lithium energy storage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant cost reduction through elimination of copper current collector and hard carbon anode
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore collaboration with LLNL for development of high-conductivity solid-state polymer electrolyte designed for anode-less architecture. LLNL also developed on-demand degradable electrolyte. Dr. Marissa Wood, Dr. Johanna Schwartz, and Dr. Matthew Mcbride from LLNL serve as collaborators/advisors.
• Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Vince Battaglia serves as Technical Advisor, contributing battery science expertise to the company's technology development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CATL: Global battery leader with announced sodium-ion product lines already in commercial production. Sets the cost and scale benchmark that any emerging sodium-ion competitor like DarmokTech must beat or differentiate against.
• Northvolt: Swedish battery manufacturer with sodium-ion development programs alongside lithium-ion gigafactory operations. Represents the broader incumbent path of scaling sodium-ion within an existing cell manufacturing infrastructure — a competitive threat DarmokTech must contend with at scale.

Emerging players

• Form Energy: U.S. iron-air battery company developing multi-day duration storage for the grid. Competes for the same long-duration grid storage procurement opportunities with a fundamentally different chemistry, and represents a well-capitalized alternative technology path in DarmokTech's target market.
• ESS Inc. U.S. long-duration energy storage company commercializing iron flow batteries for grid-scale applications. Competes for the same long-duration stationary storage procurement dollars that DarmokTech targets, representing an alternative technology path customers may choose instead of sodium-ion.
• Solid Power: U.S. solid-state battery developer partnering with BMW and SK On to commercialize sulfide-based solid-state cells. Comparable in solid-state technology positioning and U.S. policy alignment, though focused on automotive rather than stationary storage.
• Salient Energy: Canadian sodium-ion battery startup developing zinc-manganese oxide cathode chemistry for stationary storage. Comparable early-stage sodium-ion peer targeting grid and renewable integration use cases.

Others

• Enovix: U.S. advanced battery company developing 3D-structured silicon-anode lithium-ion cells. Listed as a DarmokTech advisor affiliation and represents an adjacent advanced battery company pursuing next-generation cell architectures targeting similar enterprise customers and U.S. supply chain narratives.

Direct peers

• Altris: Swedish sodium-ion battery cell developer focused on commercializing Prussian blue cathode-based cells for stationary storage and mobility. Most directly comparable early-stage sodium-ion peer targeting similar grid-scale and emerging mobility applications.
• Faradion: UK-based sodium-ion battery technology company licensing its IP to manufacturing partners. Closely comparable in business model — IP licensing and technology transfer alongside cell development — and in technology focus on ambient-temperature sodium-ion chemistry.
• Natron Energy: U.S.-based sodium-ion battery company commercializing Prussian blue chemistry for data center backup and industrial power applications. Direct competitor in the U.S. sodium-ion market with focus on stationary storage use cases overlapping DarmokTech's grid-scale target.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Darmok Tech