Omnes Capital has invested €1.7 million in Nanomakers, becoming the largest shareholder in the French start-up producer of nanopowders. The deal aims to increase the company’s production capacity, continue its R&D efforts and strengthen the recruitment of key positions.
Founded in 2010 and based in Rambouillet, the French start-up Nanomakers has been designing and producing since 2012 patented silicon-based nanopowders which transform the mechanical, chemical or thermal properties of materials. Its disruptive technology has made it possible to triple the energy density of Li-ion batteries anodes, or to lighten and reinforce the mechanical properties of certain materials (metal alloys, elastomers) used in various industrial sectors.
Since 2015, Nanomakers has been supplying industrial quantities for a first application in semi-conductors and has 99% of its sales outside Europe (United States, Japan and South Korea). Its turnover has multiplied 10 times since 2014.
Nanomakers is collaborating with 80% of the global Li-ion battery market, in particular with the global leaders and their suppliers, with the aim of integrating nano-silicon in anodes to increase their energy density. The commercial launch is planned for 2019 in Japan.
The start-up has current plans to accelerate its industrial development by expanding its manufacturing capacity in France and internationally.
“The nanopowders produced by Nanomakers have already attracted renowned partners and customers. Their potential is considerable since their innovative and patented technology makes it possible to increase battery capacity, an issue at the heart of industrial concerns, which should only become more so in the coming years. This operation is an excellent example of our investment strategy in the deep-tech sector,” says Renaud Poulard, Director of Omnes Capital.
“The arrival of Omnes Capital significantly strengthens our capital and will help us to achieve our ambition. Our goal is to become a key supplier of high-performance batteries on a global scale with our unparalleled nano-silicon that allows for energy density of batteries to be multiplied, as well as the autonomy of their usage“, adds Jean-François Perrin, CEO of Nanomakers.
About Nanomakers
Created from a technology developed by the CEA, Nanomakers (NMKS) designs, produces (in Rambouillet, France) and sells in industrial quantities patented nanoscale silicon-based powders for the disruptive transformation of industrial materials, such as: the tripling of the specific energy density of the Li-ion battery anodes, the lightening or the mechanical reinforcement of the materials (metal alloys, elastomers). NMKS has developed its own innovations which today constitute a portfolio of 6 patent families covering new products (including one for batteries), new applications (elastomers, batteries) and “zero contact” equipment for the manipulation of the nanopowders. Established in Europe, Asia and America, Nanomakers markets its nanopowders to leading groups within the chemical, materials, batteries and semiconductors sectors. www.nanomakers.fr
About Omnes Capital
Omnes Capital is a leading Paris-based European investor in private equity and infrastructure. With €3.6 billion of assets under management, Omnes Capital provides SMEs with the capital needed to finance growth. The firm has dedicated investment teams across three key areas: Venture Capital, Buyouts & Growth Capital and Infrastructure. With 30 industrial exits and more than 10 IPOs in 19 years, Omnes Capital’s Venture Capital team is one of the major players in France, financing innovative SMEs with a dual expertise in the deep-tech and healthcare sectors. Omnes Capital was a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole until March 2012 and is currently owned by its employees. Omnes Capital is committed to ESG issues and has set up the Omnes Foundation in aid of children’s charities. It is also a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).