British deeptech startup TaiSan, founded by Kazakhstani engineer Sanzhar Taizhan (Warwick University graduate and honoree of the Forbes Kazakhstan “30 Under 30” list), has closed a £4.65 million Seed funding round. The investment was co-led by Eos Advisory and the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II (managed by Mercia Ventures). Factoring in an earlier £1.3 million pre-seed round and a £700,000 grant from UK government innovation agency Innovate UK, total capital secured has crossed £6.6 million (approx. $8.5 million).
A Breakthrough in Lithium-Free Quasi-Solid-State Batteries
The global electric vehicle and consumer electronics sectors face existential bottlenecks with conventional lithium-ion batteries: acute shortages and geopolitical supply chain vulnerabilities in lithium and cobalt, high extraction carbon footprints, and severe fire risks. TaiSan’s engineering team, spearheaded by Sanzhar Taizhan, designed a next-generation electrochemical architecture:
- Abundant Sodium-Ion Chemistry: Utilizing earth-abundant sodium compounds and standard table salt as raw materials, eliminating reliance on scarce, geopolitically contested critical minerals;
- Proprietary Polymer Electrolyte: A quasi-solid-state matrix prevents dendrite formation, thermal runaway, electrolyte leakage, and explosive hazards, rendering cells inherently non-flammable even under mechanical puncture;
- 30–40% Bill-of-Materials Cost Reduction: Removing costly lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper allows electric vehicle and consumer hardware manufacturers to dramatically slash unit production costs;
- Extreme Operational Temperature Resilience: Cells sustain high capacity and continuous power discharge across -40°C to +60°C, operating reliably in climates where standard lithium-ion packs experience catastrophic performance drops.
From Cambridge Laboratories to a Pilot Factory in Coventry
TaiSan’s proprietary chemical synthesis and material science research are spearheaded out of its research facility in Cambridge. The fresh seed capital will accelerate the launch of a pilot battery cell manufacturing facility in Coventry—the historical industrial core of the British automotive sector.
The company has already secured more than 15 commercial Letters of Intent (LOIs) from leading manufacturers of electric bicycles, urban e-scooters, autonomous delivery drones, and light commercial vehicles across the UK and Continental Europe, alongside joint collaborative research initiatives in aerospace power systems.
