Mishcon de Reya has advised AmpliSi Ltd on its £2 million pre-seed investment round, co-led by Northern Gritstone and Clean Growth Fund.
AmpliSi, spun out from the University of Sheffield working with venture builder Cambridge Future Tech, develops porous silicon anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. The company is addressing a key limitation in existing battery technology, where conventional graphite anodes can restrict energy density, charging performance and overall efficiency. AmpliSi’s material is uniquely designed to replace graphite, enabling lighter, longer-lasting batteries for applications including electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
To achieve this, AmpliSi uses a novel low-temperature process to convert abundant silica into porous silicon. This approach is intended to avoid many of the hazards, costs and scalability challenges associated with conventional silicon anode production methods, which often depend on more complex and energy-intensive processes. As demand grows for higher-performance batteries, particularly driven by EV adoption, AmpliSi is focused on supporting the mobility sector’s need for improved energy density and battery performance.
The new funding will support AmpliSi’s transition from laboratory development to industrial scale-up and early customer engagement.
Dr Ruth Sayers, CEO of AmpliSi, commented:
"We are grateful to Okachi and the wider Mishcon team for their support in helping us complete this investment round. Their commercial and pragmatic advice helped us steer the process efficiently and reach this important milestone as we focus on scaling our technology and moving towards commercialisation."
Okachi Kejeh, Managing Associate at Mishcon de Reya, commented:
"We were very pleased to support Ruth and the AmpliSi team on this important milestone. AmpliSi is doing exciting work in an area with real potential, and it has been a pleasure to help the team as they take this next step in their growth. We look forward to seeing what they achieve in the years ahead."
The Mishcon de Reya team was led by Managing Associate Okachi Kejeh, supported by Hugh Tebay (Partner), Caroline Dry (Managing Associate), Daniel Gray (Associate) and Alyssa Loveres (Trainee Solicitor).