Mana Battery reportedly raises $10.15M for anode-free sodium cells

Mana Battery is developing sodium-ion cells for defense, aerospace, electric vehicles and backup power in factories and data centers. The Colorado startup also makes liquid electrolytes intended for use across sodium-ion chemistries. The Wall Street Journal reports that it raised $10.15 million; Mana’s website identifies its 2026 financing as a seed round.

The company has two related routes to market. It plans to scale its own high-energy cells through partnerships with established cell manufacturers, while offering proprietary liquid electrolytes tailored to sodium chemistry. That gives Mana a materials business alongside its battery design.

Mana calls the architecture anode-free because the cell starts without conventional anode active material. Its website says removing the hard-carbon anode increases energy density relative to conventional sodium-ion batteries. The company also says its electrolyte is self-extinguishing and can prevent thermal runaway from starting inside the cell.

Mana’s timeline shows how early the technology remains. It dates proof-of-concept work to 2021, a 35-milliamp-hour pouch-cell demonstration to 2024 and external sampling of 100-milliamp-hour cells to 2025. For 2026, it lists 5-amp-hour cells and electrolyte production above 100 kilograms.

Manufacturing is the other half of the pitch. Mana says its cells need little modification to existing lithium-ion production lines. It also claims a 40% lower bill of materials than the lowest-cost Chinese-made lithium-ion batteries and energy density at least equal to Chinese lithium iron phosphate cells. Its roadmap places larger cells and toll manufacturing in 2028, followed by full-format domestic production in 2030.

Private capital isn’t the only funding behind Mana’s development. A federal award record shows an ongoing $1 million ARPA-E grant that began in August 2024 and is scheduled to run through November 2026. The project supports anode-free sodium cells using a fluorine-free sodium-borate electrolyte and nickel-free cathodes.