Batteries, But Make Them Faster, Safer, and U.S.-Made — Vivas Kumar, CEO of Mitra Chem

How Mitra Chem is using machine learning to cut battery cathode development timelines by 90% while reshoring safer, cheaper iron-based batteries to the U.S.

PODCAST GUEST BIO:

Mitra Chem is solving three problems: 

1. Shifting the Western electric vehicle and energy storage industries' battery portfolio towards safer, cheaper, and cleaner iron-based battery cathodes
2. Building production capacity in the USA to offset production asset overconcentration in China
3. Accelerating by >90% the lab-to-market timeline for a portfolio of battery materials through a proprietary machine learning advantage

Vivas Kumar is the Cofounder and CEO of Mitra Chem. Previously, he was a senior manager in Tesla's Battery Team, where he was the lead commercial negotiator for strategic contracts representing billions of dollars in aggregate multi-year spend along the battery materials supply chain (the company's largest BOM category). Throughout his career, he has conducted commercial negotiations and handled partnerships with executive and senior government counterparties in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. Vivas earned degrees in engineering at Rice University and an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:

Business

• What does your company do? What makes you unique versus the competition?
• What is one mistake that you see many CEOs making?
• What are 1-2 lessons you’ve learned about funding your growth with outside investors?

Personal

• If you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you’d give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact?
• What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?
• What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?

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