Airthium

Airthium makes large-scale batteries that can store renewable energy over long durations.

This company’s battery can store up to 100x more energy than traditional batteries and has the potential to provide renewable energy more affordably than fossil fuels all year long.

Airthium got its start at the Ecole Polytechnique in France, one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the country.

In 2017, the company completed the Y Combinator accelerator program, and then raised a pre-seed round of funding.

More recently, Airthium won multiple awards, including the Prix Gerondeau award by the Zodiac Aerospace (this awards program was created in 2011 to promote the emergence of innovative projections), and Prix de Innovateurs, another award rewarding innovation.

The company has created an initial prototype and aims to patent its technology.

Team Background

Franck Lahaye - Co-Founder & COO

Before starting Airthium, Franck was Director of Meteor Trading, a space-related company focused on satellites. While there, he designed solutions for media-related customers.

Prior to that, he spent five years at Intelsat, one of the largest commercial satellite operators in the world. He initially served as a sales representative, then moved to a sales director position.

Earlier, Franck was a sales and project coordinator with Enomatic Southeast, an Atlanta-based technology company that sells high-end systems for serving and dispensing wine.

He earned a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from ICN Business School.

Andrei Klochko - Co-Founder & CEO

Prior to starting Arithium, Andrei worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas at the Ecole Polytechnique, one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in France. He studied plasma-assisted combustion and air flow control in aerospace applications.

Before that, he was a Ph.D. student studying uniform gas heating in plasmas, which has applications in combustion and ignition enhancement, as well as aerodynamic flow control.

He earned a Master’s degree in Engineering and Physics from Ecole Polytechnique.

Co-Investors