Is Nano One Materials largely a lithium story? If so, can you please comment on the lithium sector?
There is pent-up demand and a rapidly growing market for lithium powered batteries. Nano One’s technology makes lithium carbonate (a cheaper form of lithium) viable for up and coming battery materials and sets us apart from other players.
Technology is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. Nano One appears to embrace change, is it technology agnostic?
Our technology can be used to make a wide range of advanced materials, so it’s not hard for us to shift with industry trends. So yes, we are in fact technology agnostic when it comes to advanced energy storage materials. We expect that our technology will scale and we have a growing list of strong patents. We are working hard to prove to industry players our technology’s performance in real life batteries.
Management describes in detail the importance of its Intellectual Property, “IP.” Can you characterize the strength of Nano One’s IP?
Nano One’s patents cover a broad range of materials and were issued quickly with only minor revisions. This indicates to us that we have a unique technological edge with fertile ground to expand our IP portfolio. Broad patents like ours can provide freedom to operate and should draw the attention of global players looking for strategic IP advantages.
Will the Nano One be following precise recipes from customers, or will it add value (with IP) by improving upon a customer’s specifications.
We will work with industrial partners in leveraging our technology and know-how to (i) to improve on battery material recipes and (ii) enable a new generation of materials.
How much due diligence did you do to become comfortable enough to agree to be Chairman of the Board of a small company?
The process took almost a year from initial contact with the Founders of Perfect Lithium to the close of the transaction, to taking them public through an RTO of my company Dundarave Resources. I conducted a considerable amount of due diligence to understand the space, the opportunity and the people involved. Lastly, I made sure that I could help formulate and execute their business strategy.
Some companies retain industry rock stars like yourself to serve on their Boards. Sometimes that person is merely a figurehead. What role are you playing?
I’m an active and involved Chairman of Nano One Materials, providing mentorship, contacts and advice to management. My skill set compliments the strong team that we have in place.
From your perspective, can you name near-term catalysts that investors should watch for?
With each new patent, the Company is de-risking its technology and making itself more attractive to industry players looking for strategic IP advantages. Nano One is speaking with a wide range of potential industry collaborators and has growing support of the Canadian government. Formalization of these discussions would boost our credibility and could provide near-term catalysts. We are working on a number of corporate initiatives, several of which could also be investment catalysts over time.
