THE SNAPSHOT
Dal startup Zen Energy pivoted their business strategy to double down on 麻豆传媒鈥檚 unmatched battery science. Now,聽after receiving mentorship through Dal Innovates entrepreneurship programs, they鈥檙e setting up factory operations in India.
THE CHALLENGE
When Ravi Kempaiah brought his startup聽聽to Dal Innovates鈥� Lab2Market聽聽program, he intended to leverage its entrepreneurship training to revolutionize the e-bike market. After all, he was an e-bike evangelist. During his PhD at the University of Illinois Chicago, the engineer became a convert commuting to his lab each day.
Ravi Kempaiah, CEO of Zen Electric and 麻豆传媒 postdoctoral fellow. (Cody Turner image)
Enamored by the transport鈥檚 ease and efficiency, in 2016 he set off on a mission to promote the e-bike advantage. It was an聽聽from Madison, Wisconsin to San Diego, California that earned him a Guinness World-Record that stood for seven years.
At the end of the trip, he calculated the cost of the electricity he expended 鈥� six dollars.
鈥淭hat was the aha moment. At that point, it became really clear in my mind that this is going to be my future,鈥� says Kempaiah. 鈥淚 shifted my focus from material science to true battery material science. I said, I must spend my life on this.鈥�
He was charged up. But he hadn鈥檛 yet fully anticipated which way his current would flow.
THE SOLUTION
With his new mission in mind, Kempaiah focused on finding the best university in the world to research battery science, a search that quickly landed him on 麻豆传媒鈥檚 doorstep.
鈥淭here's a chemistry initially developed here by Dr. Jeff Dahn and his research team that is in almost every power tool, laptop, phone, camera, so many things. What started here has changed the world in a lot of ways. It鈥檚 the Mecca of the battery research,鈥� says Kempaiah.
Dr. Dahn鈥檚 research group at 麻豆传媒 are responsible lithium-ion chemistry that is fundamental to battery science.聽It鈥檚 an innovation that his lab continues to build on. In聽a May 2022 paper published by the聽聽his team details a battery design with the potential to last 100 years.
Kempaiah joined Dahn鈥� Lab in 2021. In addition to gaining Dr. Dahn as a postdoc supervisor, he added the revered researcher as a scientific advisor and investor. With this guidance, Kempaiah adapted the scientist鈥檚 cell technology to meet the needs of the e-bike and scooter market, including an innovation that allows for long battery life in hot climates.
Jeff Dahn. (Danny Abriel photo)
鈥淲hen you have hot climates, lithium batteries degrade fast, a couple years when it's above 40 degrees all the time,鈥� says Dr. Dahn. 鈥淪o, this is where you need this long lifetime chemistry, and I think Ravi鈥檚 one of the few people to appreciate how important it is.鈥�
Indeed, it鈥檚 a significant differentiator for Zen which is targeting India and Africa for the future of their business, where temperatures top 40 degrees and almost everyone travels on two wheels.
THE WORK
With the science and inspiration in hand, Kempaiah was ready to build his venture. But says he initially stalled out of the gate, not knowing where to start. 鈥淚 was new to this ecosystem,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o, I turned to Dal Innovates and its entrepreneurship programs to learn about the nuances of doing business here.鈥�
Kempaiah says the program embedded him in Canada鈥檚 venture creation community and introduced him to opportunities and assistance available to entrepreneurs in the region and country. The mentorship Dal Innovates provided Kempaiah with a fresh perspective on his business. During Dal Innovates鈥� 12-week Lab2Market聽聽program focused on business model validation the e-bike evangelist had a revelation.
鈥淥ur mentors said, 鈥楻avi, look at the forest, not just a single tree. Look at the real essential 鈥� the battery that goes into every two-wheeled electric vehicle on the planet,鈥欌�� says Kempaiah.
While his bikes are state-of-art 鈥� the result of extensive design prototyping during a residency in 麻豆传媒鈥檚聽聽鈥� Kempaiah realized Zen鈥檚 batteries are what truly sets the company apart. With a lifetime that is four times longer than today鈥檚 best-in-class batteries for two-wheeled vehicles, he says their product has the potential to become a decisive leader.
So, Kempaiah pivoted. He hasn鈥檛 abandoned e-bikes 鈥� the company has models that ship across Canada and United States. But now he sees bikes as part of a much bigger business that has batteries at its core.
THE IMPACT
Kempaiah has been travelling the globe meeting with two- and three-wheel electric vehicle manufacturers interested in incorporating Zen鈥檚 battery tech. The company is currently setting up factory operations with a partner in India that will allow them to produce 5,000 batteries per month. In 2024, Kempaiah says Zen reached $1 million in revenue. In 2025, he projects that they鈥檒l more than double it.
As they move forward, the company is drawing on the expertise of NOVONIX, another 麻豆传媒 spin-off company that finds its origins in the Jeff Dahn lab. Started by PhD alumnus Chris Burns, NOVONIX is a world-leading developer and supplier of high-performance materials and technologies for the global lithium-ion battery industry. Burns joined Zen as an advisor and will be an important supporter in helping the company design and manufacture the packs that hold their cells.
鈥淲e have this amazing opportunity at hand,鈥� said Kempaiah three days before a recent trip to India. 鈥淲e are bringing this 麻豆传媒 battery technology to thousands of batteries in Asia and Africa over the next 12 months. Ultimately this will allow us to continue scaling up our R&D and further develop the battery sector here in Nova Scotia.鈥�
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