Welcome to the 115th edition of Deep Tech Catalyst, the educational channel from The Scenarionist where science meets venture!
On this week’s episode of Deep Tech Catalyst, I sat down with Richard Wang, Founder & former CEO of Cuberg, a Deep Tech company commercializing next-generation battery technology for electric mobility that was acquired by Northvolt in 2021, and today Co-founder & CEO of Voya Energy.
In our conversation, we unpacked Cuberg’s entire journey, from the early shift from technology push to market pull to financing a battery company outside the standard VC path and ultimately building toward a successful strategic exit.
Key takeaways from the episode:
🎯 The Best First Market Is Rarely the Biggest One
The real opportunity lies in niche markets where technical requirements are non-obvious, willingness to pay is high, and the product can create meaningful value before cost competitiveness is fully mature.
🤝 Strategic Investors Can Solve More Than a Funding Problem
When prospective customers become strategic backers, commercial validation and financing stop being separate challenges and start reinforcing each other.
🏭 A Capital-Light Model Can Extend Survival and Increase Optionality
Avoiding premature investment in internal manufacturing infrastructure, relying on external prototyping partners, and combining equity with grants and other non-dilutive funding can make the difference between stalling in “the valley of death” and reaching the next stage of technical maturity.
📈 The CEO’s First Job Is to Keep the Company Alive
Fundraising, customer conversations, strategic partnerships, and timing all matter more than founders often expect. In Deep Tech, survival is not a side effect of progress, it is the condition that makes progress possible.
The race for a faster way to get critical mineral supply | Rumors
Four startups, four technical paths, one shared bet: the fastest way to add critical mineral supply may come from existing material flows and installed assets, not just new mines.
