Sila Nanotechnologies is replacing the graphite in lithium-ion batteries with silicon — a change that makes batteries 20-40% more energy-dense. That means your phone lasts longer, your EV drives further, and your earbuds play more songs. Sila's silicon anode material is already shipping in Whoop fitness bands and is headed for Mercedes-Benz EVs. If they can scale production, they could change the battery industry. That "if" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Founded
2011
HQ
Alameda, USA
Total Raised
$930 million
Founder
Gene Berdichevsky, Gleb Yushin, Alex Jacobs
Status
Private
Website
www.silanano.comTHE ORIGIN STORY
Gene Berdichevsky was Tesla's seventh employee and led the battery team for the original Tesla Roadster. He knew firsthand that the biggest limit on EV range was battery energy density, and that graphite anodes (used in every lithium-ion battery) were the bottleneck.
With materials scientist Gleb Yushin from Georgia Tech, he co-founded Sila in 2011 to develop silicon-based anode materials that could store significantly more energy. Silicon can theoretically hold 10x more lithium than graphite, but it swells and cracks during charging.
Sila spent a decade solving this engineering problem.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
B2B materials company. Sila manufactures and sells silicon anode material to battery makers and device manufacturers.
Revenue comes from materials sales and licensing agreements. The company has a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to supply material for next-generation EV batteries starting in the mid-2020s.
THE PRODUCTS
Sila Titan Silicon Anode Material (drop-in replacement for graphite). 20-40% higher energy density.
Compatible with existing battery manufacturing processes. Already shipping in Whoop 4.0.
Partnered with Mercedes-Benz for EV batteries.
HOW THEY GREW
Start small, scale up. Sila's strategy was to prove the technology in small consumer electronics first (Whoop bands, earbuds) where production volumes are manageable, then scale to automotive.
The Mercedes-Benz partnership validates the technology for the much larger EV market. The company is building a massive production facility in Moses Lake, Washington.
THE HARD PART
Manufacturing at scale. Going from lab demonstrations to producing thousands of tons of silicon anode material is an enormous engineering and financial challenge.
Battery manufacturing is capital-intensive, and any quality issues could be catastrophic. Competition from other silicon anode startups (Enovix, Group14) and from battery companies developing their own silicon solutions.
MONEY TRAIL
Series A
2014 · Led by Bessemer Venture Partners
$16M raised
Series B
2015 · Led by Various
$30M raised
Series C
2018 · Led by Daimler/Mercedes-Benz
$70M raised
Series D
2019 · Led by Various
$170M raised
Series E
2020 · Led by Coatue Management
$290M raised
$3.3B valuation
Series F
2021 · Led by Coatue Management
$350M raised
$3.3B valuation
WHO BACKED THEM
Backed by Coatue Management, T. Rowe Price, Bessemer Venture Partners, and 8090 Partners.
The company has also received investment from Daimler/Mercedes-Benz as a strategic partner.
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