Dr. Cedrik Wiberg
Rivus Batteries GmbH
Dr. Cedrik Wiberg
About the Speaker
Dr. Cedrik Wiberg is an electrochemist and entrepreneur who serves as the Founder and CEO/CTO of Rivus Batteries, a startup dedicated to developing sustainable, metal-free energy storage solutions. He earned his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Chalmers University of Technology in 2020, where his doctoral thesis, “Electrochemical Studies of Quinonoid Compounds for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries,” laid the scientific foundation for his current commercial ventures. During his academic career, which included a research stint at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and postdoctoral positions at the University of Turku and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Wiberg specialized in the molecular design of organic electrolytes. In 2023, he transitioned his research into the industrial sector by launching Rivus Batteries, a company that utilizes abundant organic materials and water-based chemistry to create safe, long-duration batteries for the global renewable energy grid.
Abstract
Challenges and experiences from commercializing organic flow batteries
The talk will cover Cedrik's academic career, founding Rivus as well as challenges and experiences of transitioning from academia to industry. The type of research that is done in a startup in order to quickly develop and commercialize a technology has enormous benefits as well as constraints compared to university research. This talk will focus on Rivus' R&D journey, mistakes and successes as well as which aspects of Rivus' R&D were the most important. Finally, the talk will cover techno-economics and experiences from scaling up the production and supply chain of organic energy storage molecules.