With transformative technology, Leyden is revolutionizing energy storage.

Leyden Energy is a leading R&D and manufacturing company that has perfected a patent on uniform cell heat distribution resulting in greater thermal stability in high energy density lithium-ion batteries. Leyden’s technology provides all the safety of Lithium Iron Phosphate with but with 225 Wh/Kg and longer cycle life. Leyden has developed a unique cell technology that demonstrates superior cycle life (>1000 cycles), and excellent performance in high heat environments continuously to 60ºC.

Patented Leyden technology addresses many of the deficiencies of traditional rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Its combination of hydro fluoric acid-free electrolytes and a unique current collector material created a chemistry-agnostic platform technology that can be used with all known lithium-ion systems.

Along with high temperature performance, the cell is able to provide extended cycle life, and improved safety due to excellent thermal stability. The Leyden lithium-ion battery solves problems that have plagued and limited the Lithium Ion industry for decades; battery degradation due to high heat exposure and safety concerns.

Leyden has demonstrated performance of their technology in thin rectangular Pouch cells in the range of 2.4Ah - 10Ah and 18650 cylindrical cells. Additional benefits are realized in pouch form due to the patented technology which exhibits minimal to no gassing. This solves another problematic condition for pouch cell designs, the elimination of mechanical failure due to the pouch “ballooning” affect, therefore eliminating the need to compensate for pouch expansion, which translates into higher energy density and safer designs.

Key advantages of Leyden battery technology:

• • High energy density (225 Wh/kg, >400 Wh/l)
• • Extended cycle life (>1000 cycles at 60ºC temp)
• • Thermally stable cell technology
• • Enhanced safety
• • The battery that can take the heat

Leyden’s 18650 and flexible pouch form factors are easily adaptable to many existing battery pack designs.

Leyden manufactures 18650 cylindrical (2.2Ah) cells and thin rectangular pouch (2.4Ah to 20Ah) cells for lithium-ion batteries. These form factors are adaptable to limitless product designs and marketplace applications. Leyden’s lithium-ion battery is especially appropriate to products that need high energy density with enhanced safety and thermal stability.

This high energy density and thermally stable cell technology is especially critical to the electric vehicles, wind & solar energy systems, and grid storage industries, which are poised to dominate the global economy in the 21st century.

The innovative properties of the Leyden lithium-ion battery enable several key technologies and markets:

• •••• electric and hybrid vehicles for the auto industry ( long cycle and calendar life in high heat environments, hence less need for cooling )
• •••• miniature consumer electronics, PDAs and cell phones for the consumer electronics industry ( extended battery cycle life well beyond room temperature with added safety)
• •••• mobile weapon systems for the defense industry ( high heat and high safety requirements)
• •••• industrial back-up power systems for the IT, utility-solar, wind and residential systems. (high Energy Density demands, minimal field maintenance and exposure to elevated temperatures)

With enhanced safety and energy density, Leyden technology is transforming energy components in established and emerging markets.

Product and system properties that make Leyden Energy unique.

High thermal stability
Due to Leyden’s material selections, the overall thermal property of the cell demonstrates no hot spots internal to the cells as seen by thermal imaging test data. This property is significantly beneficial for applications which need to dissipate
heat away from the battery. Cell thermal stability is also essential to
product safety, and clearly gives our customers an advantage in bringing new products to market.

Higher safety
Patented Leyden technology combines HF-free electrolytes and a unique current collector material which allows for higher temperature safety margin compared to other Lithium Ion cells. Leyden’s cells have the testing capability of being tested in excess of 200°C during safety tests and before activation of cell safety vent.

Uniform cell and battery module temperatures
In HEV, PHEV and EV applications, uniform cell and battery module temperatures are critical to longer battery life which in turn is essential to bringing scale to commercial applications. Thermal uniformity adds to Leyden’s ability to achieve high cycle life over high temperature.

No gas emissions; less cell ballooning
An additional benefit of Leyden’s pouch cell technology is little to no gas generation, and fewer concerns with cell ballooning (experienced by competitors’ products) which causes mechanical failure in lithium-ion battery packs.

Leyden Energy, a leader in lithium-ion battery technology.

Leyden Energy has developed a new lithium-ion battery technology that has excellent thermal properties allowing the lithium-ion batteries to operate at higher temperatures than typical lithium-ion batteries. In addition this new system provides enhanced safety at extreme high temperatures.

To achieve these benefits Leyden Energy has chosen a new electrolyte salt. This electrolyte salt will however corrode and dissolve standard aluminum foil cathode current collectors and therefore has not been used in the industry as a primary electrolyte salt. To prevent aluminum foil corrosion, a conductive graphitic foil has been substituted for the aluminum cathode current collector.

The benefits of the Lithium Imide electrolyte salt are the following:

• • Lithium Imide salt is stable up to 300ºC, and isn’t moisture sensitive;
• • Does not generate HF due to cycling or elevated temperatures:
  o Lack of HF significantly decreases manganese dissolution in lithium manganese oxide spinel cathodes which leads to reduced cycle life and shorter calendar life;
  o Lack of HF reduces high temperature storage issues of charged lithium iron phosphate cathodes; and
  o Less gassing than conventional lithium-ion cells which is important for pouch cells.
  
• • Yields high temperature safety and performance:
  o Better high temperature cycling (60°C); and
  o Robust thermal safety where a Ni/Co/Mn active cathode material lithium-ion cell can be designed to be as stable as an Iron Phosphate cell.

In addition to the benefits of the Lithium Imide salt, the graphite foil current collector offers the added benefit of thermal conductivity well beyond that of its aluminum cathode current collector predecessor.

Leyden Energy is changing the face of the energy business.

Leyden Energy, formerly known as Mobius Power, Inc., was founded in 2007 under the uniform cell heat distribution technology patent acquired from chemical manufacturer Dupont. This seed technology served as the foundation for subsequent Leyden research which perfected the patent and, in turn, led to the current chemical platform. The successful development of this technology has made possible heat resistant, energy-dense lithium-ion cells; which is now Leyden’s core offering.

Investors

Leyden’s principal investors are comprised of prominent global venture capital firms. The investors believe in our vision and are committed to support us in building a strong team and technology platform.

Board of Directors

Aakar Patel

Aakar has extensive executive leadership experience across a variety of industries including battery design and manufacturing, computer hardware and semiconductors. Prior to joining Leyden Energy, Aakar served as the COO of Battery-Biz, a leading U.S.-based distributor of after-market rechargeable batteries, adapters and chargers for portable electronic devices, where he was responsible for multiple departments. He was instrumental in expanding operations into several key vertical markets, significantly increased the company’s profitability and successfully established overseas manufacturing operations. Aakar has noteworthy experience at mergers and acquisitions as a strategy to drive company growth and was instrumental in the successful acquisition of USAR by Semtech (SMTC). Prior to USAR, he spent five years at Duracell where he played a critical role in developing and launching several laptop and camcorder products, and successfully established its U.S. manufacturing operations. Aakar holds key patents related to battery technology and helped author the Smart Battery Specifications (SMBus) which is widely published in industry journals. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an Executive MBA from University of Connecticut.

Peter Nieh

Peter is a founder of Lightspeed, covering the areas of cleantech, software and the Internet. He has fourteen years of venture capital experience and seven years of operating experience.

Prior to Lightspeed, Peter worked in business development and product marketing at General Magic, a startup that before the emergence of the Web pioneered the development of e-commerce and electronic media services by partnering with the world's largest telecommunications service providers and consumer electronics companies. He also managed Acer's portable PC business in North America, where he launched the company's first laptop PCs. Prior to joining Acer, Peter was a strategy consultant at Bain & Company where he worked predominately with high-technology clients on product, sales and distribution strategies. While an undergraduate at Stanford, he worked at Apple Computer, where he helped to develop the power management system for Apple's first portable computer.

Peter holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, an AB in Economics and an MBA from Stanford University.

Wade Woodson

Wade joined Sigma in 1987 and became a general partner in 1990. He has been helping startup technology companies become valuable enterprises for more than twenty years. In that period, he has developed experience with a broad range of technology segments ranging from semiconductors to communications services to enterprise software. In 1993, he made the venture industry’s first investment in the Internet. In the course of his venture career, Wade has been through many of the events and decisions, both pleasant and unpleasant, that entrepreneurs must confront to be successful.

Wade has a background in electrical engineering and law. For four years prior to joining Sigma, he was in the technology and emerging companies departments of the Cooley Godward law firm.

Wade holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford University in electrical engineering, a law degree from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A. from the University of California Haas School of Business.

Andrew Kau

Andrew joined Walden International in 1994. Prior to WI, he was President of Chemical Technologies Ventures. He was also a management consultant at Strategic Planning Associates and Booz, Allen and Hamilton. Earlier in his career he was a research scientist at Systems Planning Corporation and a VLSI semiconductor engineer at IBM.

Andrew holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Virginia.

Leyden Energy has assembled a team that brings new power technology to the global market

A large part of Leyden Energy’s DNA is the collective depth of experience its Board Members and senior executives bring from many of the major battery companies in the industry. It has already served the company well and will continue to guide our growth from a pre-revenue to an in-revenue firm in 2010.

Aakar Patel

Aakar has extensive executive leadership experience across a variety of industries including battery design, manufacturing, computer hardware and semiconductors. Prior to joining Leyden Energy, Aakar served as the COO of Battery-Biz, a leading U.S.-based distributor of after-market rechargeable batteries, adapters and chargers for portable electronic devices, where he overseen multiple departments. He was instrumental in expanding operations into several key vertical markets, significantly increased the company’s profitability and successfully established overseas manufacturing operations. Aakar has noteworthy experience at mergers and acquisitions as a strategy to drive company growth and was instrumental in the successful acquisition of USAR by Semtech (SMTC). Prior to USAR, he spent five years at Duracell where he played a critical role in developing and launching several laptop and camcorder products, and successfully established its U.S. manufacturing operations.

Aakar holds key patents related to battery technology and helped author
the Smart Battery Specifications (SMBus) which is widely published in industry journals. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an Executive MBA from University of Connecticut.

Marc Juzkow

Renowned battery scientist, developer and technology industry veteran, Marc is an industry leader with a unique skill set from lithium ion battery, ultra-capacitor research and development, application engineering, sales, marketing and executive management. From Startups to industry leaders, Marc has designed and built a variety of world class products. In the field of lithium batteries and ultra-capacitors, Marc has worked for EaglePicher, PolyStor, Cooper-Bussmann (PowerStor), Qynergy and OMG (cobalt supplier), and started three companies: VoltSource (consulting), UNCAP (ultra-capacitors) and Mobile Power Solutions (independent battery testing).

Marc began his battery career at Moli Energy in Vancouver, Canada in rechargeable lithium battery research. In the early 1990’s, he managed the Product Development and Evaluation teams during the development of the first lithium-ion cell in North America and later assembled their Sales and Marketing Group to commercialize Moli’s lithium-ion technology.

Marc has over 35 publications and formal presentations, including Keynote, plenary and many invited presentations internationally.

He holds an Executive MBA and an MS in Chemistry from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC.

John Beck

John Beck brings over 30 years of experience in financial management, strategic planning and execution for technology firms. For the past 5 years, John has been the acting CFO for many venture-backed early stage companies in life sciences, fabless semiconductor, software, hardware systems, and services. John has served as General Manager and CFO consultant with The Brenner Group and as CFO for Silicon Bandwidth, nDSP (including a successful M&A with Pixelworks), Sigma Designs, Augeo Software, Meta-Software, Sellectek, RayLAN, Optimem and Spectra Logic subsidiaries of Cipher Data Products, and Minton Company. Previously, John held senior audit positions at Ernst & Young and KPMG Peat Marwick certified public accounting firms.

He is a licensed California C.P.A. with a BS (cum laude) in Commerce with Accounting emphasis, from Santa Clara University.

Ken Damon

Ken brings over twenty years of high volume manufacturing experience with an emphasis on implementation of new processes and products. He has a proven ability to transition product from bench top to full scale manufacturing. Ken has also demonstrated success managing continuous improvement programs throughout his career. Ken has many times taken designs from a research prototype process to full scale production.

Previous to Leyden Ken worked at PolyStor as Vice President of Operations, Nanogram Devices as Vice President of Manufacturing, Duracell as Manager of Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, and in developmental positions at both Wilson Greatbatch and St. Jude Medical.

Nick Cataldo

Nick brings to Leyden Energy over a decade of leadership and experience in semiconductor and lithium-ion battery, with a successful track record in leading technical sales team, global sales efforts and business development. Prior to Leyden Energy, he was instrumental in the success of sales efforts at Boston Power, a privately held company. He focused on identifying promising markets and on educating them to the superiority and promise of breakthrough lithium-ion battery technologies. Previously, he served in executive business development roles at NEC, Semtech, and International Rectifier, where he was responsible for leading a technical sales team focused on Fortune 100 OEMs, and for promoting advanced digital and analog integrated circuit systems. The targeted markets he focused on were personal computing, automotive, industrial and military.

Nick holds a BS in Electric Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York.

Richard Steele

Richard has over 20 years of extensive experience in global manufacturing, design and testing, and management; including global security (aeronautics, missiles, fire controls, space launch, bio-technology, battery pack design and manufacturing industries).

Prior to joining Leyden Energy, Richard was instrumental in the successful release of the Health Buddy System at Health Hero Network, a division of Bosch. Before Health Hero, he was responsible for the production enhancement and cost reduction of Flow Cytometry equipment at Guava Technologies. Prior to embarking on career with the bio technology industry, Richard founded Simplo USA, a manufacturer of high quality custom battery packs for laptops, PDAs, hand held test equipment, and cell phones. He oversaw technology development of Lithium-Ion Protection PCBs, SMBus Fuel Gauges and special application PCBs. He also supported product definition, and business development. Earlier in his career, Richard held various engineering positions in aerospace flight hardware environment testing.

Richard holds a BS in Electronic Engineering from DeVry University.