Project summary

I am developing IonycLeaf in Brazil and people who work in deep tech industries recognize that the process to validate batteries requires a large amount of financial capital. Before it is possible to demonstrate a physical prototype to a partner or an investor, a founder is required to pay for expensive procedures to complete a fundamental test.

If you are a person who works in software development, you can use a computer during a weekend to create a functional demonstration without a cost - but hardware development is different because the requirements are physical. In a standard validation phase, a technician must synthesize chemicals and prepare electrodes. To continue the process, the staff must coat cells and monitor testing cycles that last for multiple weeks. Due to those requirements, the fees for the laboratory increase at a rapid rate.

As a further complication, one single test result is not sufficient to provide a clear conclusion. For the batteries, the measured performance varies because of specific conditions during a manufacturing batch or the behavior of the testing hardware. It is for this specific reason that we require those designated funds for SiNest. The product is currently in an incomplete state & I do not intend to provide guarantees to partners until I possess data that is verified and consistent.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Our strategy is really quite simple as our primary goal is to develop SiNest from an early, internal concept (TRL 3) into a reliable, deliverable product, credible for external validation. In the first place, we intend to ascertain if the material achieves the prerequisite electrochemical milestones expected for high- energy lithium-ion anodes.

Moreover, we would wish to ascertain that the validations can be replicated within conventional production processes such as slurry mixing, calendering and coin cell production. A key factor is whether these target values would afford us adequate leverage in securing a more significant government grant or in accessing discussions with leading battery researchers, battery development centres or manufacturers.

Our implementation roadmap involves staged processes: The first stage involves material production and generation of initial batches for experimental work. Second stage requires externalisation to independent battery development centres to undertake cell fabrication and initial cycle testing. Third stage is a detailed investigation into cell characterisation to obtain further insights into behaviour.

Upon completion, we shall compile a non-confidential technical overview of the testing approaches and outcomes of each experiment; the proprietary, "secret sauce" behind the material will remain within IonycLeaf. Our overarching concern is to determine definitively our “go-no go” trajectory. A good outcome will position IonycLeaf for substantial grants and major business partnerships. An unfavorable result will simply save us a substantial capital expenditure in pursuing a less fruitful path.

How will this funding be used?

Our ultimate target goal is $60,000, but we can also fall back to reach our most critical milestones at $45,000 if necessary. Battery testing is extremely capital-intensive; even hiring a third party to run very fundamental procedures can burn most of the money without factoring in materials preparation or shipping costs or additional unexpected overhead. To give you a sense of this, we received a quote from the Battery Innovation Center for $6,100 to mix and coat our electrode materials, then calendar and form ten coin cells through standard battery formation protocols.

A proposal from the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds to expand on these services came out to be $10,454.20, and included the preparation and drying of the electrode slurries in addition to everything else the BIC’s proposal included.

It is these very real costs that led us to budget for two comprehensive external validation rounds – no single set of experiments will provide you with sufficient statistical significance in this field to justify a significant technical pivot. Our proposed budget breaks down as follows: $33,000 is designated for the cost of external contract lab validation tests; $15,000 will cover synthesis and electrode materials preparation, including laboratory consumables and reagents; $8,000 is allocated for advanced materials characterization and subsequent data analysis; the final $4,000 accounts for shipping costs, documentation and provides a small buffer for unexpected issues. At minimum, we will only be able to perform one thorough round of external validation tests with a shorter reporting format if we only raise the $45,000. None of these funds will be spent on marketing or the founder’s salary or any corporate overhead.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

I am Rodrigo Fagundes, founder of IonycLeaf in Brazil, 2023. Ever since day one we have been keeping this as lean as possible, which naturally forces me to be really harsh about what we test, why we test it and how we test it.

I'm in charge of the tech as well as business operations. I deal with technical and scientific direction of R&D, IP strategy, while handling fundraising and outlining the expansion into the US market next year. We've so far received non dilutive funding through the Brazilian Centelha II program and some seed investment through convertible notes. We are now part of the Soft Landing New York 2026 program and actively working on our US incorporation to better qualify for the North American grants and corporate opportunities.

Our technical portfolio also contains additional patent applications relating to a silicon-sulfur process, while our SiNest technology is kept as know-how pending securing this validation. I don't want to overhype a very early stage development as it is early. This is why testing budget and making fast decisions are key for us right now.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

“The single largest obstacle we face is technical - pure silicon anode work is hellacious - the material undergoes large swelling, creates poor quality and rapidly decomposing interfaces and creates huge challenges in manufacturing. There's a decent chance that the current SiNest chemistry may not reach performance benchmarks - which would mean we would need to go back and redesign it prior to committing more cash to this line. - there's also execution risk - the cell performance varies quite a bit between runs due to various laboratory conditions, variability in slurry processing and cell build techniques - for this reason our two independent runs of this cell work is simply not up for negotiation. “But even failure provides enormous value - a hard “no” would definitively pinpoint the failed technical hypothesis, and would provide us a path for pivot and stop much preferable to years of groping in the dark.

“A “yes” would give us a verified data package which would instantly allow us leverage over the premier battery labs and OEMs.

We’d like to substitute data for guessing.”

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

In the past year, we at IonycLeaf closed on convertible notes from three Dutch angel investors in October of 2025 for a total of US $77,092.36 (or €67,394.32 based on the exchange rate of $1.1439 per euro on July 18, 2026). Out of this, $6,072.97 came as upfront capital and the remainder, or $71,019.40 was structured as smart money, i.e., technical and business advice at monthly rates paid out over a 14 month term. Previously, we received a non-dilutive grant of $9,471.88 through Brazil’s Centelha II program, which was managed through Fundao Araucaria and FINEP with funding support from FNDCT (the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, “FNDCT”) converted from Brazilian reais to US dollars using the July 18, 2026 exchange rate of 0.1957 BRL per USD (the funding from the program was BRL 48,400). Those funds were specific to another project in silicon sulfur batteries, and we have not done any priced rounds of institutional equity yet.