Granarium Technologies, a deep-tech energy storage company spun out of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, announced that it has raised more than €1 million in total funding to accelerate the commercialization of its renewable supercapacitor technology.
The pre-seed round was led by BSV Ventures, with participation from Beamline, the Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN), EstBAN, and LatBAN. VTT has transferred the underlying technology and intellectual property to the newly formed company.
Granarium is developing what it describes as the world’s first renewable and affordable supercapacitors, utilizing nanocellulose-based materials derived from waste wood and agricultural residues. The technology upcycles renewable biomass into energy storage systems designed to provide fast-response power storage with lower production costs and reduced environmental impact compared with conventional lithium-based alternatives.
The company plans to use the new capital to industrialize its patented technology for grid stabilization and industrial reliability applications. Growing electrification, increasing integration of renewable energy sources, and stricter grid resilience requirements are creating rising demand for short-duration energy storage solutions that can support power quality and frequency regulation.
Granarium’s platform combines biocarbon structures with nanocellulose materials to create scalable energy storage devices that the company says can reduce production capital expenditures by as much as 80%. The systems are designed to be manufactured locally using readily available raw materials, reducing reliance on critical minerals and complex supply chains.
The startup believes its technology aligns with Europe’s broader strategic efforts to strengthen energy independence and develop resilient infrastructure. According to the company, the devices complement batteries by providing rapid-response capabilities for grid balancing, frequency response, peak load management, and industrial power quality applications.
Granarium has already secured pilot customers and strategic value-chain partners and plans to launch its first pilot projects within six months. The initial deployments will focus on process industries and facilities that require continuous operation. Early production will begin at a small industrial scale, with an annual capacity of up to 50 units, providing the foundation for future expansion through industrial partnerships and international growth.
Founded on technology validated at Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL5), Granarium combines expertise in materials science, energy systems, industrial scale-up, and commercialization. The company also sees longer-term applications for its technology in electric vehicles, where the flexibility of its devices could help improve battery life.
KEY QUOTES:
“A key structural shift is that storage is no longer just ‘backup power’ – it is becoming core grid infrastructure. Granarium is the perfect addition to our portfolio because the company is solving a massive global challenge in a safe and scalable way. We were also impressed with the company’s technology and experience, as well as the capacity to use local raw materials to make the production process sustainable and inexpensive.”
Jana Budkovskaja, Partner at BSV Ventures
“Our approach supports Europe’s strategic goals of reducing dependency on critical raw materials and building local, resilient energy infrastructure. The new technology offers an easily scalable, self-sufficient solution that removes complex logistics chains and enables simple production using locally sourced materials. Deployment is as simple as installing a battery.”
Paula Viinamäki, CEO of Granarium Technologies
“Granarium demonstrates how successful technology transfer can turn advanced bio-based materials into real industrial solutions for secure and resilient energy storage.”
Atte Virtanen, Vice President, Advanced Bio-Based Materials at VTT
“We are not just improving existing solutions but redefining how power storage can be built and utilized. Compared to lithium-based energy storage devices that utilise finite resources, our devices are far more environmentally sustainable as they derive from local and self-sufficient renewable carbon sources, and lower in cost to produce compared to battery gigafactory investments.”
Otto-Ville Kaukoniemi, CTO at Granarium Technologies
