Lithium-sulfur battery startup names CTO and CFO

Berlin-based lithium-sulfur battery startup theion has appointed Martin Schaupp as chief technology officer (CTO) and Matthias Fengler as chief financial officer (CFO) in a move to further build on the company’s roadmap to push its product and process development to the next level, and to structure the company to speed its organization.

Matthias Fengler (left) & Martin Schaupp (right). (Photo: theion)

theion’s battery technology is targeted to the mobile and stationary battery markets and designed to use sulfur in crystal form in place of cathode materials commonly utilized in lithium-ion batteries. According to the company, sulfur is 99% cheaper to source and the battery cells require 90% less energy to produce from raw material to finished cell. theion also said the cells are targeted to triple usage time and range compared to lithium-ion batteries.

Schaupp brings to his new role as CTO experience in scaling pilot processes to mass production for commercial manufacturing of Li-Ion batteries, modules and packs, including more than 20 years of experience with major global automation and equipment manufacturers such as Manz and Festo.

Schaupp will be responsible for developing the processes and specifying and partly building the equipment needed to produce co-founder and CSO Marek Slavik’s cell designs at scale. The company said Schaupp’s appointment will provide access to a network of battery and equipment suppliers that can lead to the more rapid development of the sulfur-crystal battery toward full-scale commercialization.

Fengler has spent over a decade in finance roles at Siemens plus seven years in investment banking at firms such as Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, where he was responsible for corporate finance, capital markets and M&A transactions. As theion’s first CFO, he assumes full responsibility for the company’s finance function, with particular focus on financing its growth and further developing and managing its network of private and institutional investors.

In commenting on the appointments, Dr. Ulrich Ehmes, CEO, theion, noted both Schaupp and Fengler bring “significant experience with large-scale industrial companies that have successfully brought engineering-led products to market.”

“They bring a wealth of knowledge in an industrial environment, and how to structure and speed-up the organizational development of theion,” he continued. “The appointments come at an exciting time for the company as we hit the milestones we have set ourselves on the product roadmap and build momentum to propel the company to the next level.”