Calectra

What Calectra does

Calectra is a climate technology company founded in 2023 and headquartered in Oakland, California, that designs high-temperature thermal energy storage systems marketed under the Calectra Thermal Battery brand. The company's core technology is a power-to-heat thermal storage system in which electric current passes directly through proprietary ceramic material, simultaneously converting electricity into heat and storing it in ceramic bricks at up to 1800°C. The system charges for 4–8 hours using low-cost, intermittent electricity from the grid or on-site renewables and discharges process heat at constant temperatures up to 1600°C on a 24/7 basis, eliminating the need for a separate heat exchanger. The architecture is designed for industrial-scale outputs of 50 MW or more and is built around commodity ceramic materials with established supply chains, with a small footprint intended to retrofit into existing manufacturing facilities without interrupting operations.

The company targets heavy-industry manufacturers in iron & steel, cement & lime, chemicals, glass, and aluminum and non-ferrous metals — sectors where industrial heating accounts for roughly 25% of global energy consumption and where alternative decarbonization pathways (green hydrogen, direct electrification) are widely regarded as cost-prohibitive for low-margin commodity producers. Calectra sells thermal battery systems directly to enterprise customers via a field sales motion, with custom multi-year pricing tied to facility specifications, MW capacity, and retrofit scope; secondary revenue streams may emerge from ongoing process-heat services and maintenance contracts. Distribution is supplemented through content marketing, industry-event participation (NLR Industry Growth Forum, Cemex Ventures' Construction Cleantech Map), accelerator and government-program visibility (DOE LEEP, Activate, V4CT), and awards-driven earned media.

Calectra is pre-revenue and at the prototype-to-commercialization stage. It has raised a $1.6M pre-seed round led by Lifeline Ventures in August 2024, with participation from Aera VC, Orca Climate Fund, Wave Ventures, Prodeko Ventures, Security Trading (Herlin family vehicle), and Justin Brodie-Kommit, plus over $800,000 in non-dilutive grant capital from the California Energy Commission, CalSEED, the U.S. Department of Energy, and New York State. Its intellectual property is patent-pending, originating in co-founder Nate Weger's PhD research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The founding team combines commercialization and venture experience (CEO Pauliina Meskanen, ex-Kaiku Health and Survivaltech.club) with deep technical specialization in high-temperature materials and heat transfer, supplemented by a materials-science advisor from the University of Virginia, a board member with climate-tech ecosystem reach, and engineering hires from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Astranis.

Name

Calectra

Legal name

Calectra

Website

https://calectra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Calectra is a climate-tech company developing high-temperature thermal battery systems that convert and store electricity as heat up to 1800°C and deliver continuous 1600°C process heat to heavy-industry manufacturers in steel, cement, chemicals, glass, and aluminum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Thermal Energy Storage

NAICS

Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing (333994), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Temperature Solid Media Storage (Bricks, Concrete, Ceramic) (EUAFANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Process Heat TES (Steam, Kilns, Furnaces, Waste-Heat Coupling) (EUAFANAI), High-Temperature Process Heat Electrification (E-Boilers, E-Furnaces, Induction, Plasma) (EUABAJAA), Thermal LDES (High-Temperature, Molten Salt, Carnot/Heat-to-Power) (EUAFADAC)

Keywords

• Thermal energy storage
• Industrial process heat
• High-temperature ceramics
• Industrial decarbonization
• Thermal battery systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

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

Revenue model

1. Thermal Battery Systems: Sale of thermal battery hardware systems to industrial manufacturers for on-site installation. Systems convert electricity to stored high-temperature heat for industrial process heating applications.
2. Process Heat Services: Ongoing delivery of high-temperature process heat to manufacturing facilities, potentially with service contracts for maintenance and optimization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Calectra designs, develops, and sells high-temperature thermal battery systems that convert low-cost intermittent electricity (grid or on-site renewables) into heat stored within proprietary ceramic bricks and deliver industrial process heat up to 1600°C on demand. The system charges over 4–8 hours during off-peak periods, stores heat at up to 1800°C, and supplies constant-temperature heat 24/7 to heavy industry manufacturers (iron and steel, cement and lime, chemicals, glass, aluminum) as a lower-cost, zero-emission replacement for fossil fuel combustion. Units are retrofittable into existing facilities, use a 2-in-1 heater-and-storage architecture with air-based heat transfer (no heat exchanger), and are designed for industrial scale at 50 MW or more.

Product overview

Calectra offers a single unified product: the Calectra Thermal Battery. This is a power-to-heat thermal storage system that converts intermittent low-cost electricity (from solar, wind, or grid) into high-temperature heat stored in proprietary ceramic bricks. The system charges for 4-8 hours during off-peak electricity periods, stores heat at up to 1800°C, and delivers constant temperatures up to 1600°C to industrial processes around the clock. Designed for heavy industries including iron & steel, cement & lime, chemicals, glass, and aluminum/non-ferrous metals, the thermal battery replaces fossil fuel combustion with electric heat, reducing emissions while lowering energy costs. It features a 2-in-1 heater and storage technology with no heat exchanger required, uses safe ceramic materials with no toxic components, and is designed for industrial scale with outputs of 50 MW or more.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Calectra Thermal Battery A high-temperature thermal battery system that converts electricity (from the grid or on-site renewables) into heat stored in proprietary ceramic bricks and delivers process heat up to 1600°C on demand to heavy-industry manufacturers. The system charges over 4–8 hours during off-peak periods, stores heat at up to 1800°C, uses a 2-in-1 heater-and-storage architecture with air-based heat transfer (no heat exchanger), and is designed for industrial-scale output of 50 MW or more. It is sold as a retrofittable, small-footprint system for iron and steel, cement and lime, chemicals, glass, and aluminum/non-ferrous metals producers looking to replace fossil fuel combustion with lower-cost, zero-carbon electric heat.
• Process Heat Services Ongoing delivery of high-temperature process heat to manufacturing facilities using Calectra thermal battery systems, potentially with service contracts for maintenance, monitoring, and optimization of installed thermal battery installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces CO2 emissions by 1.8Gt annually (5% of global emissions)
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cemex VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected Calectra for the 2026 Construction Cleantech Map, recognizing innovative solutions for heavy industry decarbonization in the construction sector.
• Thermal Battery AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalectra welcomed as member of Thermal Battery Alliance, a consortium of organizations advancing thermal energy storage technologies.
• Activate (Cyclotron Road)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected for Activate (formerly Cyclotron Road) program, providing embedded entrepreneurship support, facilities, and resources at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
• Venture for Climate TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected for Venture for Climate Tech Cohort 4, gaining access to mentorship, investor networks, and support for high-impact climate technology companies.
• Berkeley Haas School of BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalectra welcomed to Berkeley Haas' Cleantech to Market program providing commercialization support and business development assistance.
• Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology based on PhD research at Berkeley Lab. Company partnered with Berkeley Lab through Activate/Cyclotron Road program embedded at the laboratory.
• Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFox Thorpe (Materials Scientist) previously worked in Materials Science Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developing materials for extreme environment applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Highview Power: Highview Power develops liquid air energy storage (LAES) for long-duration electricity and industrial heat. Comparable as a long-duration thermal/heat-storage player in the decarbonization ecosystem.
• 1414 Degrees: 1414 Degrees developed molten-salt thermal storage for industrial process heat and renewable energy storage. Comparable on the LDES category and industrial heat thesis, though operating at lower temperature ranges than Calectra.
• Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS): Electrified Thermal Solutions (ETS) develops joule-heated thermal storage with firebrick-like resistive heating for industrial decarbonization. Direct technology analog (electric ceramic/brick heating) targeting heavy industry process heat.
• AtmosZero: AtmosZero makes industrial heat pumps for low-temperature process heat in food & beverage and other manufacturing. Adjacent player in electrified industrial heat, addressing a lower temperature range than Calectra.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Energy: Siemens Energy is a broad incumbent that supplies industrial power and heat-generation equipment, including CHP and electrified heating/steam systems for heavy industry. Relevant as a deep-pocketed incumbent likely to compete with or acquire emerging thermal storage plays.
• Tesla (Megapack / Industrial Storage): Tesla Megapack and related industrial storage products serve large-scale energy storage customers including industrial users. Relevant as a broad incumbent with substantial balance sheet that could potentially pivot into industrial thermal storage or related electrification play.

Direct peers

• EnergyNest: EnergyNest (now part of ABB) developed ThermalBattery technology using concrete-based storage modules for industrial heat and steam. Comparable on industrial thermal storage product and process-heat customer use cases.
• Brenmiller Energy: Brenmiller Energy (b'Thermal') designs and supplies industrial-scale thermal energy storage systems based on binned hot rocks/crusite for factories and steam generators. Direct peer on product (high-temp TES for industrial process heat) and target sectors including heavy industry and chemicals.
• Rondo Energy: Rondo Energy delivers industrial heat batteries using solid media storage for high-temperature process heat in cement, steel, chemicals, and food processing. Closest competitor on technology category (high-temperature solid-media thermal storage) and target customer (heavy industry), with commercial deployments.
• Antora Energy: Antora Energy builds thermal battery and heat storage systems that convert intermittent renewable electricity into on-demand industrial-scale heat and electricity. Most directly comparable to Calectra on product (thermal battery for industrial heat), customer base (heavy industry), and economics (off-peak renewable arbitrage).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/calectra_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calectra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Calectra