Noida, India - Sep 01, 2025 (UTC) - OffGrid Energy Labs, a deep-tech startup incubated at IIT Kanpur, announced it has secured $15 million in Series A funding to scale its proprietary zinc-bromine battery technology that offers a compelling alternative to lithium-ion systems for stationary energy storage applications.
The funding round was led by Chennai-based Archean Chemical Industries, which acquired a 21% stake in the company, with participation from existing investor Ankur Capital. The seven-year-old startup is now valued at approximately $58 million post-money, reflecting growing investor confidence in alternative battery chemistries as the industry grapples with lithium supply chain vulnerabilities and cost pressures.
The company’s breakthrough ZincGel technology delivers 80-90% of the energy efficiency of conventional lithium batteries while offering significantly lower levelized cost of storage. The zinc-bromide chemistry utilizes a proprietary water-based electrolyte that results in low fire risk and enables longer discharge cycles of 6-12 hours with twice the lifespan of typical lithium-ion batteries.
“Not only should we be addressing a gap in the market from an application standpoint, but we should also make it financially viable, because there have been technologies and batteries in the past globally, which have the solution, but they’re so expensive that they’re not widely adopted,” said Tejas Kusurkar, co-founder and CEO of Offgrid Energy Labs.
Founded in 2018 by Dr. Tejas Kusurkar, Dr. Brindan Tulachan, Rishi Srivastava, and Ankur Agarwal, OffGrid Energy Labs addresses a critical gap in the stationary storage market. The founding team observed that while lithium batteries excel in mobility applications, the stationary storage market needed safer, more resilient batteries built on more accessible supply chains.
The timing aligns with India’s ambitious renewable energy expansion plans. The country aims to increase its non-fossil energy capacity from 50 gigawatts to 500 gigawatts by 2030, while targeting 236 gigawatt-hours of battery energy storage capacity by 2031-32. However, China’s dominance over lithium supply chains poses significant challenges for these goals.
The startup has secured more than 25 IP families and over 50 IP assets across key markets including the U.S., U.K., India, China, Australia, and Japan. Its technology enables customization based on specific applications and can operate in extreme conditions, functioning at temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius.
“Ultimately, customers care about the same performance, better price, or better performance, same price,” co-founder Rishi Srivastava said.
Early validation comes from notable industrial partners. Shell, which invested in OffGrid’s seed round through its corporate venture arm, and Tata Power are among the early testers, while the company is also in discussions with Europe’s Enel Group to develop application-specific batteries.
The fresh capital will fund construction of a 10-megawatt-hour demonstration facility in the UK, expected to be operational by Q1 2026, followed by commercialization in subsequent quarters. The UK facility will have a 50% lower carbon footprint compared to typical lithium battery gigafactories, utilizing simpler manufacturing processes to reduce both capital and operational expenses. A gigafactory in India is planned as the next phase of expansion.
Archean’s strategic participation brings considerable expertise in bromine manufacturing and supply chain management, providing crucial advantages for scaling ZincGel production. The partnership positions OffGrid to capitalize on the growing demand for grid-scale energy storage while reducing dependence on volatile lithium supply chains.
About OffGrid Energy Labs
OffGrid Energy Labs is a deep-tech startup incubated at IIT Kanpur that develops zinc-bromine battery technology for stationary energy storage applications. Founded in 2018, the company’s proprietary ZincGel technology offers a safer, longer-lasting, and more cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale storage, targeting industries with net-zero goals and renewable energy integration needs. The company is headquartered in Noida, India.
