Oregon Battery Maker Raises $30M from Breakthrough Energy

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The VertueLab-supported startup ESS, Inc., maker of large, nontoxic flow batteries used for large-scale energy storage, has raised $30 million in a Series C round led by the Breakthrough Energy Fund, launched by Bill Gates. Early funding and support from VertueLab helped ESS secure a $2.1 million ARPA-E grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy in 2014, and the startup completed a $13-million round in December 2017. Co-founders Julia Song and Craig Evans have now raised $47 million to scale up production. Early last year the startup moved the company into a 100,000-sq.-ft. space in Wilsonville, expanded its workforce, and invested in automation. Full story.