TaiSan raises £4.7m led by Eos Advisory and Midlands Engine Investment Fund II
This article covers TaiSan, an energy startup, which has raised £4.65m in a growth funding round to commercialise a sodium-ion battery technology for mobile applications. The funding will support pilot tests with manufacturers, the expansion of TaiSan's Cambridge lab and the establishment of operations in Coventry to develop lighter, compact sodium-ion cells with a solid-state electrolyte for e-bikes, scooters, vehicles and power tools.
TaiSan, an energy startup, has raised £4.65m in a growth funding round to commercialise a sodium-ion battery technology aimed at mobile applications such as e-bikes, scooters, vehicles and power tools. The cash will fund pilot tests with manufacturers, expand TaiSan’s Cambridge lab and establish operations in Coventry, signalling investor interest in alternatives to lithium-based batteries.
Why it matters
Sodium-ion chemistry has been of interest as a lower-cost, more abundant alternative to lithium, but until now its use has been limited to large, stationary energy storage because cells tended to be heavy and bulky. If TaiSan’s claims about lighter, more compact sodium-ion cells and a solid-state electrolyte hold up in pilots, the technology could open cheaper and safer pathways for electrification in smaller vehicles and consumer tools, and reduce reliance on constrained lithium supply chains.
Inside the product
TaiSan says its batteries use a proprietary solid-state electrolyte that is non-flammable, designed for long service life, and yields cells that are lighter and more compact than existing sodium-ion and some lithium-ion options. That combination is key to moving sodium-ion from stationary storage into mobile use cases where weight, size and safety matter.
The company has signed letters of intent with a number of prospective customers and plans pilot tests with leading manufacturers, steps that will be closely watched as independent validation of performance and manufacturability will determine commercial viability.
Who are the investors?
The round was co-led by Eos Advisory and the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, invested via fund manager Mercia Ventures. Participants include AFI Ventures, EverQuest Capital Partners, Adeline Arts & Science, Techmind, angel investor François Badelon, and existing backers InnoEnergy, TSP Ventures, Exergon and Heartfelt.
Alongside private capital, Innovate UK contributed £700,000 in grant funding through its Investor Partnerships Programme to match part of the private investment. The mix of regional public investment and specialist cleantech and venture backers reflects both local economic development aims for the Midlands and targeted interest from energy investors in alternative battery chemistries.
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Founder perspective
TaiSan was founded by Sanzhar Taizhan, a former research electrochemist at Jaguar Land Rover and The Faraday Institution. Taizhan, who moved to the UK from Kazakhstan to study engineering, previously led a university Hyperloop team to three successive international finals — the first England-based team to reach that milestone. Prior to this raise, TaiSan had secured multiple innovation grants and about £1.3m in pre-seed funding.
The company says the new funding will support scale-up of R&D, pilot production runs and customer integration work while keeping capital intensity relatively low compared with full-scale cell manufacturers.
The bigger picture
The funding comes at a time when battery supply chains and raw materials are under scrutiny globally. Europe has been pushing to diversify sources of battery technology and reduce exposure to concentrated lithium supply, creating a window for alternative chemistries such as sodium-ion and for innovations in solid-state electrolytes.
For the UK, the deal weaves together national innovation support from Innovate UK, regional investment through the Midlands Engine fund, and private cleantech capital. If TaiSan can demonstrate performance and manufacturability at scale, the company could attract further investment and partnerships from manufacturers in the automotive and consumer-electronics supply chains centred in the Midlands and beyond.
The outcome of TaiSan’s pilots will be a useful signal for the European battery ecosystem, where investors and policymakers are looking for commercially viable routes to decarbonise transport and consumer devices without overreliance on a single raw material.
They've invested in TaiSan
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