Sajid Alvi, Dhelipan Mahenthiran and Florian Morati were appointed earlier this spring as the university’s first Entrepreneurial Fellows. They have now begun their work on taking their research to the market.
Dhelipan Mahenthiran, former postdoc at Chemistry, is developing an air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell stack for portable applications such as drones.
Why did you apply for the Chalmers Entrepreneurial Fellowship?
“At an introduction to the program, people from Chalmers and Chalmers Venture presented it, and for me it was a spark because my project is product oriented. We were just finishing the project and thinking about which industries to approach. The fellowship felt like the perfect bridge between academic research and a market-ready product. We not only get financial support but also mentorship and entrepreneurial skills, which you don’t get in academia."
Briefly describe your idea and what makes it unique.
"I’m developing a fuel cell stack for drones. Unlike batteries, which store/discharge energy and require long recharging times, fuel cells generate electricity continuously as long as they are supplied with hydrogen and air. Battery-powered drones are heavy and have limited flight time. With a fuel cell, they can fly much longer, and hydrogen refuelling takes less than five minutes. My focus has been on fabricating a lightweight, high-power-density fuel cell stack suitable for drones, where every gram counts. This year I will integrate the stack into a drone and build a prototype."
What do you hope to achieve during the fellowship year?
"I expect to spend about 80 percent of my time on technical development and 20 percent on entrepreneurial skills. We already have a technical foundation, now it’s about developing a product and testing market potential. We have milestones at six and ten months. The goal is to have a prototype and at the same time learn about customer interaction and commercialisation."
What challenges do you see in taking your research from lab to market?
"Designing the stack itself is a challenge – it has to meet many criteria before it can be used in a drone. Then you need certifications if you want to sell it. At research level you can buy components anywhere at any price, but for a product you must think about suppliers, costs, and logistics. The advantage is that many components can be sourced in Sweden and Europe. Still, we need to prove lifetime, performance, endurance, and pass certifications."
How do you see the possibility of commercialising your research in the future?
"There are good opportunities. Drone innovation is happening daily, especially after the war in Ukraine, but endurance is still the bottleneck. I feel I am in the right place at the right time to push this forward – otherwise someone else will."
Florian Morati, former postdoc at Life Sciences, is developing a new method for DNA-based data storage.
Why did you apply for the Chalmers Entrepreneurial Fellowship?
"It came at the right time. I had this idea that I had been discussing in some meetings. The problem was that my contract ended in about six months, and there was no time to really do it. Then the communication about this program came. I met with people at Chalmers Next Lab, mainly to get feedback on the idea, and they really encouraged me to apply. At the same time many deadlines were piling up, I was working on an ERC POC grant with my group, and my son was about to be born, so timing was tight. But everything worked out – we got the grant, I got the fellowship, and my son was born."
Can you briefly describe your idea and what makes it unique?
"Our research focuses on DNA biophysics. We use nanofluidics and very long DNA molecules to study biological processes that can’t be observed with other methods. I realised that our method allows to assemble DNA molecules into very long ones. In a test tube, this enzymatic reaction is very inefficient.
DNA has carried genetic information of living organisms since forever within a wide range of conditions, proving to be a resilient and sustainable way to store information. With some (synthetic biology) tweaking, genetic information can be used to store data. There are already companies working on this, but our approach is significantly different and may overcome some inherent technical limitation."
What do you hope to achieve during the fellowship year?
"I want to raise the technology readiness level, prove it works, and start working on scalability. We also need to secure patents. I have a purely academic background and lack business knowledge, so I look forward to coaching in entrepreneurship, financing, investor contacts, and communication. For me, that’s just as important as the technical development."
What challenges do you see in taking your research from lab to market?
"The biggest challenge will be learning the business language. It’s not the same as scientific language. For the project to survive we need investors and customers. Getting feedback from customers is very different from getting it from research peers. I also think the final product will end up being very different from what I imagine now, and that is exciting."
How do you see the possibility of commercialising your research in the future?
"The technology can be raised in readiness and turned into a real product that will solve a problem. We might need to pivot, but in the end, it’s about finding the right market, at the right time and selling something customers actually want."
Sajid Alvi, former postdoc at Physics, is developing a new type of alloy anode for lithium-ion batteries, focusing on increasing energy density and sustainability.
Why did you apply for the Chalmers Entrepreneurial Fellowship?
"We had some interesting findings and saw potential, especially in the battery value chain from a Swedish perspective. We had identified something patentable. I was trying to figure out how to transition from postdoc to spin-off, which is the most difficult phase. You have an innovation, but it isn’t mature enough to attract investors. This one to two-year period is crucial. Then this fellowship appeared, just when I was wondering how to even finance my own salary to take the next step. The timing was perfect – and I got it."
Can you briefly describe your idea and what makes it unique?
"My research is about lithium-ion batteries. Today most batteries use graphite anodes, but we have developed a new type of alloy anode that can increase the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries. Other startups are also working on this, especially in the US, but our innovation lies both in the method we use and in sourcing local raw materials from the Nordic region. This makes it more sustainable and less costly. Graphite has reached its limit, so this is the next step to increase energy density – for example so that electric vehicles can go further on a single charge."
What do you hope to achieve during the fellowship year?
"In the lab we work with coin cells, but to prove the technology we need to build pouch cells, like those used in mobile phones first, and if successful, followed by the ones like in laptops. We want to validate this with industry collaborators and raise the TRL, Technology Readiness Level. I also want to talk to potential customers, such as cell manufacturers or electric vehicle companies, to test market interest. Personally, I want to learn pitching and get mentorship – both for business development and personal development."
What challenges do you see in taking your research from lab to market?
"One big challenge is the techno-economic analysis – what does it cost when scaled up? In the lab we buy small amounts of raw materials, but industry requires tons. We need to talk to suppliers, do cost analysis, check sustainability, and put a price tag on the material. I’ve never done that before, but I’ll get support from Chalmers Venture and Chalmers Next Labs. Another challenge is to see how the material performs in larger batteries – and then adjust the material accordingly."
How do you see the possibility of commercialising your research in the future?
"From what I’ve seen it usually takes 6 to 10 years for research results to reach the market. On the materials side it could be faster, maybe 2 to 3 years, but on the technology level – the big batteries for cars – it takes longer because of safety tests and regulations. Now, we need to do market validation with future potential customers and create a minimum viable product”.