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At the September 2022 Battery Show in Novi, Michigan, Ten-Nine Tech’s booth was buzzing with interest. No other emerging technology can match the cross-sector application of TENIX™, our patented nano-additive that drops right into the manufacturing line for primary and secondary cells of numerous configurations, chemistries, and use cases.

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Press Releases

May 25, 2023 - OCAST Funding Award
TULSA – Ten-Nine Technologies (ten-ninetech.com) is pleased to announce the approval of $499,924 in funding from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) for “Novel TENIX-Enabled Batteries for Energy Harvesting System Storage.” Project work under the Oklahoma Applied Research Support (OARS) grant began in April and will continue for two years.

In trials with automotive and power tool manufacturers, Ten-Nine Technologies has demonstrated that its patented high-energy density nano-additive TENIX improves the performance of high- power rechargeable storage devices. Twenty-first century lifestyle, health, and well-being also depend upon reliable low-power devices such as smart thermostats, speakers, camera lights, and controllers in homes; temperature, pressure, and vibration sensors in industrial and transportation settings; and numerous biomedical and defense applications. Energy harvester systems that power devices in this Internet of Things (IoT) have unique requirements, specifically a long-lasting battery that operates at low voltage. TENIX has extraordinary potential to function efficiently and effectively in these systems as well.

The development of TENIX-enabled batteries resulting from this project could provide a bridge to allow IoT energy harvester systems to flourish. Peter Bontorno, electrical engineering lead at Ten-Nine Tech, suggests that the focus of current commercial efforts on high-powered systems, such as electric vehicles, leaves a gap that TENIX is uniquely suited to fill. “We have the technology to harvest energy from ambient sources, and demand for low-power, low-voltage devices is growing,” says Bontorno. “What remains is to integrate a highly efficient and long-lived battery between the source and the device to achieve performance goals that the world has not yet seen.” In IoT devices that are hard to replace and mission critical, this could make a difference many times over in people’s daily lives.

Collaboration between Ten-Nine Technologies and OCAST is not new to this award. In 2021, Ten- Nine Tech received an OARS grant of similar magnitude to study applications of TENIX to improve performance in batteries of various chemistries. And in 2021 and 2022, Ten-Nine Tech welcomed OCAST-funded interns to its workforce portfolio. “OCAST is proud to help make groundbreaking research that is paving the way for a fresh economic field in the realm of energy storage a reality,” says Jennifer McGrail, Executive Director of OCAST.

At Ten-Nine Tech, we recognize the value of blooming where we are planted, right here in Tulsa,” says Founder and CEO, Paige Johnson. “We’re delighted to be receiving funding from OCAST for a project that could not only create jobs and build plants at home, but also have a profound impact on the energy storage infrastructure globally.” Like Bontorno, Johnson sees TENIX, the nano-additive that makes so many batteries better, as the key to unlock the potential of energy harvesting systems that power the Internet of Things.

 

 

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August 4, 2022 - Funding Announcement

TULSA – Ten-Nine Technologies is pleased to announce the closure of $7 million in bridge financing from new and existing investors. These funds allow Ten-Nine Tech to build out additional production capacity and proceed without hesitation toward early market entry. Expanded lab and testing facilities will also enable engagement with potential customers who wish to validate the use of Ten-Nine Tech’s patented cathode additive, TENIX™, to improve their batteries.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, Ten-Nine Technologies began battery material production at the TN-1 manufacturing plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The first run of forty thousand grams of TENIX™ represented a ten-thousand-fold scale-up from four grams in a flask baked in a home oven in 2014. The plant is ramping up to its annual capacity of 24 tons of advanced battery material and will be used to produce TENIX™ for large-scale battery manufacturing trials as well as to define the specifications for a larger TN-2 factory.

Production growth has been accompanied by a parallel increase in organizational capability. Ten-Nine Tech now employs 14 permanent full-time staff along with a similar number of key consultants and interns and is expanding its contracts and partnership agreements with design, research, and engineering organizations. The next production phase is planned for a 10,000-ton annual capacity plant employing 400 people who will fulfill contracts resulting from current evaluation and development agreements with potential customers in the device and automotive sectors.

Founder and CEO, Paige Johnson, is proud of the speed with which her small team has entered early production of advanced battery materials prior to Series B. “When I founded Ten-Nine Technologies in 2014,” says Johnson, “I chose to utilize only synthesis methods that I knew to be scalable and sustainable. As Ten-Nine Tech moves into large-scale manufacturing, these early foundational commitments are showing their incredible value.” Ten-Nine Tech’s corporate culture is agile and efficient, and the company maximizes the use of each investment dollar to create and build new materials for the needs of a changing world.

The addition of bridge funding at Ten-Nine Tech supports a growing portfolio of evaluation agreements and customer trials, continued build-out of production facilities, and requisite workforce additions. Each funding round brings new opportunities and positions Ten-Nine Tech further along the path to revenue generation and full market entry.

 

About Ten-Nine Tech
Ten-Nine Technologies is dedicated to developing new materials for new economies. Venture-backed and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is led by founder and inventor Paige Johnson.  Tulsa-based production facilities for TENIX™, the company’s patented high energy-density cathode additive, came online with tonnage capacity in 2021.

About Plains Ventures
Plains Ventures is bringing innovative ideas to life by providing the resources, guidance, and support needed to grow successful companies. With over $100 million in assets under management across five venture funds, Plains has invested in more than 60 companies from Seed to Series A across industry sectors ranging from life sciences, software, robotics, and beyond.

About i2E
Over our 22-year history, i2E’s nationally recognized services have provided business expertise and funding to more than 750 of Oklahoma’s emerging small businesses. i2E, Inc, receives state support from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, and is an integral part of Oklahoma’s Innovation Model.

 

 

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July 22, 2021 - Key Hire Announcement

TULSA – Ten-Nine Technologies is pleased to announce that Carolyn Hauger has joined its growing team of chemists, engineers, management consultants, and laboratory testing partners. Hauger brings almost four decades of manufacturing, operations, and hands-on financial management experience to her role as Ten-Nine Tech’s new Chief Financial Office (CFO). As the company moves toward tonnage production at the end of this year, Hauger’s expertise will be brought to bear on every aspect of the manufacturing process. In her position, Hauger will have a key advisory role managing Series A investments as well as looking ahead to future capital projects.

Hauger comes to Ten-Nine Tech after serving as CFO of LION and Clopay Plastics – two companies focused on providing vital industrial goods and services. Prior to 2010, Hauger spent 25 years with Procter and Gamble, starting in operations and finance management roles, and culminating as Global Financial Operations Manager, enabling progressive change in sales, research, and administrative systems. Hauger holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University, and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Xavier University.

As Ten-Nine Tech’s CFO, Hauger taps her manufacturing, finance, and accounting expertise to design systems and eliminate barriers. “We want to get our product out into the market,” she says, “anything that I can do to make that happen effectively is my priority.” Hauger will work with current team members to unlock the power of supply chains, optimize internal processes, and recognize external opportunities. She also brings decades of strategic analysis experience with large manufacturers to her advisory role in spending current investments wisely, while working closely with Ten-Nine Tech’s founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Paige Johnson, to develop future capital partnerships.

“At Ten-Nine Tech, we’re all about creating new materials that make people’s lives better,” says Johnson, “and that means that Carolyn’s background, skills and motivations mesh perfectly with our company, especially as we prepare for tonnage production of our breakthrough new battery material, TENIX™.” Like Johnson, Hauger appreciates the power and the value of people who produce products that make a difference in the world. Her focus, tenacity, and deep skill set will positively impact Ten-Nine Tech’s ability to get battery materials to market efficiently and effectively in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

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May 7, 2020 - Funding Announcement

TULSA – i2E Management Company, Inc. (iMCI) and Ten-Nine Technologies (http://ten- ninetech.com/) are pleased to announce the closure of $5 million in Series A financing for new research and development facilities as well as a manufacturing plant capable of tonnage battery material production. The new funds will also be used to build out Ten- Nine Technologies’ engineering, business development and managerial team and continue development of its innovative battery materials.

The iMCI-led investment in Ten-Nine Technologies includes $1.65 million from the Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, as well as $500,000 from the Accelerate Oklahoma Fund and $350,000 from the Oklahoma Angel Fund. Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, Accelerate Oklahoma Fund, and the Oklahoma Angel Fund are each managed by iMCI. Regional investors provided $2.5 million to close out the round.

Company CEO, Paige Johnson, a noted research chemist and nanotechnology inventor, founded Ten-Nine Technologies in 2014 to develop new materials for emerging economies. She describes the company’s mission as “changing the world from the nanoscale up by thinking differently about the electroactive materials that power it.” Johnson received the Battery Innovation Center (BIC) award for the development of hydrocarbon parity lithium battery technology in 2017.

Ten-Nine Technologies’ proprietary materials, manufacturing procedures and batteries are the subject of four issued patents and 15 additional national and international patent filings. With the addition of iMCI-led Series A funding, Ten-Nine Technologies emerges as one of Tulsa’s first economic engines of the future of energy. Nanomaterials from the line at Ten-Nine Technologies will soon extend the battery life of the things we rely on most.

“Batteries are a foundational technology of modern life, but have not kept pace with other innovations in sustainable energy and advanced electronics. New materials and new approaches are needed to power the electric future, and Ten-Nine is proud and excited to be a part of that, especially in our home state of Oklahoma.”

The addition of Series A funding to Ten-Nine’s balance sheet underscores the commitment of Oklahomans and other regional investors to the future, even in a time of economic uncertainty. This new capital will accelerate manufacturing, market entry and adoption of Ten-Nine Technologies’ innovative battery materials as well as provide new jobs and opportunities for Oklahomans.

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Downloadable Resources

International Battery Seminar

March 2023

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2023

AABC

December 2022

Battery Show in Novi

September 2022

Encountering Innovation

June 2022

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2022

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2021

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2020

Battery Innovation Center Annual Meeting

December 2017

International Battery Seminar

March 2023

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2023

AABC

December 2022

The Battery Show in Novi

September 2022

Encountering Innovation

June 2022

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2022

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2021

NAATBatt Annual Meeting

February 2020

Battery Innovation Center Annual Meeting

December 2017