Oxford's Brill Power raises £2.5 million for intelligent battery technology

Brill Power, the battery technology company spun out from the University of Oxford, has raised £2.5 million from public and private sources to advance sustainable technology solutions in 2020.

Brill Power’s aim is to enable batteries to reach their full potential, avoiding the unnecessary battery waste that is seen in current systems.

The company’s intelligent Battery Management Systems (BMS) and control technologies increase the lifetime, safety and sustainability of lithium-ion battery packs for stationary energy storage and electric vehicles.

Funding was raised from an oversubscribed £1.4 million seed round, led by Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI) with support from Oxford Investment Consultants (OIC).  As an innovative technology company in the energy storage sector, Brill Power was also able to secure a further £1.1 million from public sector bodies, including, Innovate UK, BEIS, and ClimateKIC.

Brill Power will use the funding to further advance its technology and expect to launch its first product for the stationary storage market later this year, while also advancing its automotive technology to an EV demonstrator system.

Christoph Birkl, co-founder and CEO at Brill Power commented: “2020 has been an incredible year for Brill Power. When many companies were gearing down operations, we were able to ramp up capabilities and take on more investments and projects than ever before. It is brilliant to receive support from both public and private sectors, together we will advance energy storage to where it needs to be. Our team is now working hard to deliver all the great projects we have underway.”

Chris Miles, Investor and Board member said: “2020 brought a lot of uncertainty to small businesses this year, and Brill Power is a shining example of where innovators and entrepreneurs can thrive through adversity.”

William Goodlad, Principal, Oxford Sciences Innovation, said: “Brill Power is addressing the pressing unmet need to make batteries more intelligent, increasing efficiency and reducing waste. We look forward to supporting them as their innovative and validated technology enters the growing energy storage market.”

Freddie Hamilton, Investor, Oxford Investment Consultants, said: “We’re excited to support the rapidly growing Brill Power and the founding team’s vision for a greener, more sustainable future. Their technology has huge potential to have a major impact on the viability of energy storage in a rapidly growing market”

In 2020, the company grew from 11 to 20 employees and expects to continue to grow throughout 2021 to meet the growing demands and opportunities from the energy and sustainability sectors.