alteva secures €1.7 million in pre-seed funding to decarbonise global transport with ultra-lightweight batteries

January 20, 2025

Cologne, 20 January 2025 – Cologne-based battery start-up alteva has successfully closed a 1.7 million Euro pre-seed financing round. The round was led by HTGF with participation from UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators, NRW.BANK and renowned angel investors. Alteva Technologies GmbH develops ultra-lightweight batteries that are significantly superior to existing market options and enable the electrification of aircraft, trucks, buses and heavy-duty applications. The new capital will accelerate the journey of the start-up, which was founded in 2023 with the aim of creating cleaner and more sustainable energy storage solutions for the world.

Towards sustainable transport
The transport sector continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels, as batteries for fully electric aircraft or long-distance trucks are not yet practical due to their heavy weight. alteva has achieved a major breakthrough with the development of an innovative, ultra-light carbon material with unique physical properties. This new generation of batteries is up to three times lighter than technologies currently available on the market and offers increased energy density combined with long life.  The technology, based on research by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), has the potential to electrify much of the transport sector and make a significant contribution to reducing the use of fossil fuels. This paves the way for the comprehensive decarbonisation of air, long-distance and heavy goods transport.

With the support of our investors, we have come a big step closer to our vision of a completely decarbonised transport system. Soon we will show how our ultra-light batteries, based on the latest science, will transform our society and our interaction with nature.

Aiko Bernehed, Founder and CEO of alteva

Fossil fuels continue to dominate global primary energy demand. alteva’s breakthrough battery technology represents a significant step forward in reducing this dependency. We look forward to supporting the team on its journey towards the sustainable electrification of transport.

Maximilian Scholz, Investment Manager at HTGF

NRW.BANK provides equity capital to pioneering start-ups to support the successful development and implementation of innovative ideas in North-Rhine Westphalia. Alteva’s approach of using new battery technology to conserve resources and cut emissions in global transport addresses the crucial issue of sustainability and will aid in transforming our economy.

Johanna Tjaden-Schulte, member of the Managing Board of NRW.BANK

The new capital will primarily be used to complete prototype development. Following successful trials with pilot customers, series production is projected within the next two to three years.

alteva founders: Aiko Bernehed and Ida Milow. Photo: alteva

About alteva
alteva was founded in Cologne, Germany, in 2023 by Ida Milow and Aiko Bernehed. The start-up develops innovative, ultra-lightweight and high-performance battery cells for the decarbonisation of the global transport sector. Building on the research work of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and with the support of renowned investors, alteva aims to make a decisive contribution to the electrification of aviation, long-distance and heavy goods transport.
For more information, please visit https://alteva.tech.

Media contact
Aiko Bernehed, Founder of alteva
hello@alteva.tech

About NRW.BANK – The Promotional Bank for North Rhine-Westphalia
NRW.BANK is the promotional bank of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Working in close partnership with its owner, the state of NRW, it helps small and medium-sized companies to obtain the right capital and provides innovative start-ups with the financial support they need. This is to ensure that no good idea in North Rhine-Westphalia fails for lack of funding. To achieve this goal, NRW.BANK offers a comprehensive range of mezzanine and equity financing products. These cover the entire lifecycle of a company: from pre-seed, start-up and early phases through growth and late phases to company succession and restructuring. Special emphasis is placed on the transformation issues of sustainability and digitalisation. NRW.BANK also stimulates the development of the venture capital and private equity market through its activities as an investor in funds. In addition to capital, the Bank supports companies with its network and expertise. For further information www.nrwbank.de/seedcap

About UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators
UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators is the pre-seed funding initiative at UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading center for innovation and business creation. UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators supports outstanding early stage B2B start-ups in (deep) tech from the UnternehmerTUM ecosystem with the needed capital and network. The offers comprises prototyping grants, founder-friendly convertible loans as well as follow-on investments. The key focus is on identifying pioneering technologies and extraordinary teams that hold the promise of turning their ideas into scalable products. For more information: www.funding.unternehmertum.de/.  

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds 
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved over 190 successful exits.  
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.  
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.   

Media contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121 
t.jacob@htgf.de   

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