COnovate: Update on MKE’s power pioneers

The physicists at the helm of COnovate had the opportunity to present their COphite, a carbon-based nanomaterial for innovators and investors at Wisconsin Technology Council’s Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium earlier this month. Part of the Tech Council Innovation Networks,  23 companies from the region presented to  40 early stage investors at the Madison event.

The company hopes to disrupt the battery industry with COphite, the world’s only form of solid carbon monoxide, by using the material as a replacement for graphite in lithium-ion batteries. The carbon-based material decreases battery charging times, while dramatically lengthening the life of the battery.

During the presentation, the team announced a scaling milestone at the event, reporting that they have been able to dramatically increase their production of COphite. With the help of Argonne National Labs, a Department of Energy research center, COnovate is now able to produce 10g of COphite per day. This is a dramatic increase from the milligrams they were able to produce at the company’s inception in 2017.

COnovate shared the stage with other Milwaukee startups Advanced Ionics, BoothCentral, Estrigenix Therapeutics, Hoplon, Otologic Technologies and Sift Healthcare.