Batteries do not just power products anymore. They shape what products can be built.

In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm speaks with Michael Brehm and Mohamed Foulser from Redstone alongside Moritz H. Futscher, CEO and Co-Founder of BTRY, about why the next wave of battery innovation is not about bigger battery packs but entirely new form factors.

BTRY is a Swiss battery startup developing an ultra-thin, foldable solid-state battery designed for IoT, medtech and consumer electronics.

Founded in 2023 as an Empa and ETH Zürich spin-off, the company is building a new category of batteries aimed at enabling products that previously were not possible.

The discussion covers Europe’s industrial opportunity in batteries, the importance of scalable manufacturing, overlooked opportunities in embedded electronics and why the future of hardware may make batteries effectively disappear.

Key highlights

Why battery innovation is shifting from chemistry to product design and manufacturing
How BTRY is creating a new category of ultra-thin batteries
Why scalability matters more than lab breakthroughs in deep tech
Europe’s opportunity to build globally competitive battery companies
What embedded batteries could unlock across wearables, sensors and medtech

Timestamps

(00:00) Why batteries still limit innovation
(04:10) The overlooked opportunity in sub-1Ah batteries
(07:25) Rebuilding battery manufacturing from scratch
(10:00) What foldable batteries could enable
(14:00) Smart labels, sensors and embedded devices
(18:00) Why scaling production is the real challenge
(24:30) Can Europe compete in batteries?
(34:00) The future of ultra-thin battery-powered products

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