Newsletter

WCBF newsletter – May

Dear members and followers,

May is already upon us, meaning it is about time for a half-year reflection for WCBF, before vacation kicks in. This year, there have so far been a number of things happening that continue to strengthen the community. First of all, our membership numbers have more than doubled from last semester, going from ca 7 to ca 16 between 2024 and early 2025. We consider this notable since membership is still not mandatory to attend any event, indicating that our foundation is indeed growing. Of course, our ambition is to further expand this number, ensuring long term viability of the forum planning, even if and when members of the organising team decide to take a break.

Second, a couple of weeks ago we launched a beta version of our website on the domain westcoastbattery.org. The web page will give the organisation a clearer and more serious online presence, allowing for sponsorship deals and more diverse content, such as event programmes, photos etc.

Third, we are on a path of migrating from Meetup as our organiser tool. After careful evaluation we felt like this platform cost to much compared to its added benefit. Also, many people have complained about it being hard to sign up and about info not reaching them in time. We instead believe that with a combination of newsletters, proper email-reminders and more activity on Linkedin, it will be easier for you to stay informed about upcoming events and the organising team to get sign-ups on time.

Finally, we keep on getting a lot of great feedback on the events and with the planning of WCBF #12 (more about event updates below), the community’s reputation is spreading beyond the West Coast, notably with members of the Volta foundation reaching out telling us that they are “big fans about the work you are doing”. We want to stress that this is a compliment to the collaborative effort involved in organising a meetup; both the speaker, our sponsors, the venue host, and the organising committee should take credit!

With respect to this final point, let’s live up to our reputation for the upcoming event, WCBF #12, where we have invited many international speakers. We do this by making sure we fill the venue and get a lot of nice interactions going! Your discussions, thoughts and questions will make a all the difference. Thus, bring a colleague along, prepare your best notebook and sign-up today!*

*If there is really, really, no chance for you to make it to June 13, then please feel free to help us spread the message by liking and sharing our posts on Linkedin. The more engagement we get there, the further the spread of our posts.

More updates on WCBF #12
“The Nordic Battery Startup Meet”

More updates on WCBF #12

“The Nordic Battery Startup Meet”

Preliminary programme released
We are happy to inform you that the preliminary programme for WCBF #12 – The Nordic Battery Startup Meet, has been released. You can find it by navigating to our newly deployed website and click on the “events” tab and then select the post relating to forum #12. Here you’ll also find a bunch of other relevant information about the event.

Extended early-bird thanks to PnP collab

A couple of weeks ago we got confirmation that the Swedish branch of the highly regarded accelerator/VC firm/meeting organiser Plug and Play has decided to join as a sponsor and co-organiser for the WCBF#12 event. This is one of the major reasons we have silently been able to extend the sign up period for early bird tickets. New date is May 9, meaning there is still time if you haven’t got ahold of a early-bird ticket! 

Solidarity campaign for ex-Northvolters
On May 1st we launched a solidarity campaign for all ex-Northvolters looking for a job. Some of these individuals are likely to have great ideas and ambitions on future battery technology, given their first hand exposure to cell manufacturing. This is ideal for a startup event and so we want to lower the barrier for these people, many times located on the far side of the country, to attend the WCBF #12. If you know anyone who fits this description, feel free to tell them that the ticket fee will be waived, as long as they reach out for us to collect their information needed for ticket generation.

Zooming in on catering
For the event we’ve been conscious about sourcing very local food and drink. Our decision for catering has thus fallen on newly established café Mariki in Gamlestan, a café/restaurant providing South American flavours with nordic ingredients. Nicholas, former fine-dining pro now turned head chef and co-founder (yes, it is mandatory to use this title in the context of a startup event) of Mariki, will make sure our meeting participants get well fed. For lunch there will be tasty empanadas and sallad and for dinner there will be a delicious 4 course menu. Given that the event venue is a brewery, there will be a freshly brewed batch of beer to accompany the food. Stay tuned for an upcoming Linkedin post for a deep dive on the story behind Mariki.

Beers & Batts x WCBF – The Swedish Battery Reboot
After years of bold investments and groundbreaking innovation, Sweden’s battery journey is entering a new chapter. It’s time to reboot, to do what needs to be done and reignite the collective force driving this next chapter.

Beers & Batts and WCBF invites 100 pioneers to the exclusive part 1 of open dialogue, panel discussions, and shared insights. In the depths of Reaktorhallen, once home to Sweden’s first nuclear reactor, the industry will gather underground to explore the challenges and opportunities defining Sweden’s next era – before joining the second part of the evening at THS Nymble.

Expect sharp insights, bold discussions, people, pizza, and beer.

This event is co-hosted by Cling Systems, West Coast Battery Forum at KTH Main Campus.

Rough schedule for the evening of November 25 :

Pt. 1 (17:30–19:00, Reaktorhallen): Get a head start on the conversations that will shape Sweden’s battery future. Targeting decision makers and thought-leaders. Panel. Mingle. Controversial topics. 100 ppl limit. Apply here using the link above! (not the same as the link for travel support!). First 20 WCBF members are guaranteed to get a slot.

Pt. 2 ( 18:00-21:00, KTH Nymble)
This is the big event. 400+ people. Pioneering companies exhibiting, lots of eager students.

Travel support for WCBF members – deadline Nov 7
We are mindful that an event in Stockholm might be slightly more challenging to attend than those organised on the west coast. Therefore WCBF will provide ca 10 people with train tickets for the 11:19 high speed train between Gothenburg and Stockholm on November 25*. See it as field trip with a chance to bond with the most hardcore WCBF fans!

NB: IF you want to use this benefit, you MUST apply below before November 7 in order for us to secure train tickets before prices take a hike.

WCBF newsletter- October!

Dear members and followers,

Autumn is here and after having decompressed from a high energy battery startup event this summer we are ready to make sure the final quarter of 2025 ends with a bang.

In the first section below, we have outlined our activity calendar for the rest of the year. Hopefully you’ll find a thing or two that interests you! If so, make sure to save the date and spread the word. One of our key goals this fall is to try to expand the reach and make sure battery professionals in west Sweden know about us and joins the WCBF events. You are likely our best ambassador!

In the second section you’ll find a brief message from our friends at Chalmers Industriteknik and the network Energo. They’ll be showcasing their partner companies at Eriksberg this Thursday. Might be something you’d like to check out!

In the final section we’ll give a brief overview on the internal workings of the association. This is where registered members should pay extra attention, as the association belongs as much to you as it is belongs to the board. If you haven’t signed up for membership yet but enjoy what we are doing, please consider hitting that membership button below. Apart from voting rights, members receive additional perks in the form of exclusive gatherings, possibility to buy merch (coming soon!) and priority to some events. For 2025 the co-hosted WCBF x Beers & Batts will be one of those occasions were members will be given priority sign-up to travel support/train tickets.

Wishing you all an energetic autumn!

Sincerely,

Your local battery community