Sakuu
Sakuu is a U.S. battery-manufacturing equipment company developing additive-manufacturing platforms for electrodes and lithium-metal battery cells.
Last updated October 15, 2026
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Overview
Sakuu is an American battery-manufacturing equipment and technology company based in San Jose, California. Founded in 2016 as KeraCel by Robert Bagheri, the company initially worked on solid-state battery structures and additive-manufacturing techniques for energy-storage devices. It later broadened the application of its printing technology into a platform intended to manufacture complex functional devices, with batteries as its principal initial use case. The company’s central technology is the Kavian platform, a multi-material, multi-process additive-manufacturing system designed to produce battery electrodes and cells in customized shapes, sizes, chemistries, and material compositions. Sakuu’s approach is intended to integrate processes that are traditionally performed in separate stages of battery production. The company has described the platform as capable of supporting ceramic, solid-state, lithium-metal, and other battery architectures, although the precise commercial availability and production status of individual configurations can vary. Sakuu’s development history includes an early patent filing for a solid-state battery structure in 2017, development of an initial electrochemical material set in 2018, and creation of a multi-material, multi-process printing platform by 2019. In 2020, it reported producing its first 3D-printed ceramic battery. In April 2021, KeraCel changed its name to Sakuu Corporation, a rebranding intended to associate the company more directly with its broader additive-manufacturing platform rather than with a single battery structure or material system. The company expanded its physical development capabilities in 2022. It opened a battery printing and engineering facility in Silicon Valley, described as a 79,000-square-foot hub, alongside a battery pilot line. The facility was intended to support process development, engineering, and demonstration of battery-printing technologies. Sakuu also announced a $62 million follow-on funding round during this period, although the available reference material does not identify all investors or provide a complete financing history. In March 2023, Sakuu announced a proposed business combination with Plum Acquisition Corp. I, a special purpose acquisition company. The proposed transaction was intended to take Sakuu public on a U.S. stock exchange and carried an implied enterprise value of approximately $705 million. The transaction did not close. Plum later disclosed in a Form 8-K that it had received a termination notice from Sakuu, effective June 14, 2023, leaving Sakuu without the announced public-market listing. In July 2024, Sakuu announced a joint development agreement with SK On. The collaboration focused on industrializing the dry-process version of the Kavian platform. Dry electrode processing is strategically important because it seeks to reduce or eliminate solvent-intensive coating and drying steps used in conventional electrode manufacturing. The agreement placed Sakuu’s equipment and process-development ambitions in partnership with an established battery-cell manufacturer, but the available sources do not establish the agreement’s financial terms, production volumes, or commercial launch timetable. Sakuu’s positioning is therefore centered on advanced battery-production equipment rather than on a consumer battery brand. Its value proposition combines additive manufacturing, process integration, configurable cell design, and potential reductions in manufacturing complexity. The company’s commercial trajectory remains tied to the technical validation, scale-up, and industrial adoption of the Kavian platform. Based on the available material, Sakuu remains an active private technology company, with no confirmed stock ticker or completed public listing.
History
Sakuu was established in San Jose, California, in 2016 under the name KeraCel. Founded by Robert Bagheri, the company began by investigating solid-state battery structures and additive-manufacturing methods for energy-storage applications. Its early work sought to combine advanced battery materials with digitally controlled manufacturing rather than relying solely on conventional layered cell-production processes. In 2017, the company filed its first patent for a solid-state battery structure. During 2018, it developed its first electrochemical material set, establishing a foundation for further experiments involving battery components and printable materials. By 2019, KeraCel had developed a multi-material, multi-process printing platform. This work moved the company beyond a single battery design toward a broader manufacturing system capable of handling different materials and production steps. The company reported a further development milestone in 2020, when it 3D-printed its first ceramic battery. Ceramic materials are relevant to several solid-state battery concepts, and the achievement demonstrated the company’s effort to use additive manufacturing for functional electrochemical devices rather than only for mechanical prototypes. In April 2021, KeraCel changed its corporate name to Sakuu Corporation. The new identity reflected the company’s effort to present its technology as a general additive-manufacturing platform for complex functional devices, with solid-state batteries serving as its initial and most prominent application. The platform subsequently became known as Kavian. Sakuu expanded its engineering and pilot-production infrastructure in 2022. It opened a battery printing and engineering facility in Silicon Valley, described as a 79,000-square-foot site, and operated a battery pilot line. The company also announced a $62 million follow-on funding round. These developments were intended to support scale-up, process development, and demonstration of its battery-printing technology. In March 2023, Sakuu entered into a proposed business combination agreement with Plum Acquisition Corp. I, a SPAC. The proposed transaction would have provided a route to a U.S. public listing and valued the prospective combined business at an implied enterprise value of about $705 million. The transaction was not completed. In June 2023, Plum disclosed through a Form 8-K that it had received a termination notice from Sakuu, effective June 14 of that year. Consequently, Sakuu did not become publicly listed through the announced deal, and no ticker was established through that transaction. In July 2024, Sakuu announced a joint development agreement with SK On, a battery-cell manufacturer. The collaboration centered on industrializing the dry-process version of the Kavian platform. Dry processing is intended to simplify electrode manufacturing by reducing reliance on solvent-based coating and drying operations. The agreement represented a step toward validating Sakuu’s equipment and process technology with an established industry participant, although the available reference material does not disclose commercial production commitments, financial terms, or a target date for large-scale deployment. Sakuu’s history reflects a progression from research into solid-state battery structures to development of a broader additive-manufacturing system for battery production. Its major strategic challenge is moving from laboratory and pilot capabilities to reliable, economical industrial manufacturing. The company remains an active private enterprise according to the available material.
- 2024
Joint development agreement with SK On
[1]Sakuu and SK On announced cooperation to industrialize the dry-process Kavian platform.
- 2023
Proposed SPAC transaction announced
[1]Sakuu announced a proposed combination with Plum Acquisition Corp. I, with an implied enterprise value of approximately $705 million.
- 2023
SPAC transaction terminated
[1]The proposed Plum transaction was terminated effective June 14, 2023, and Sakuu did not complete the planned public listing.
- 2022
Silicon Valley battery printing facility opens
[1]Sakuu opened a battery printing and engineering hub and operated a battery pilot line; the company also announced a $62 million follow-on funding round.
- 2021
KeraCel rebrands as Sakuu Corporation
[1]The company changed its name to Sakuu Corporation to reflect its broader additive-manufacturing platform.
- 2020
First 3D-printed ceramic battery
[1]KeraCel reported producing its first 3D-printed ceramic battery.
- 2019
Multi-material printing platform developed
[1]The company developed a multi-material, multi-process additive-manufacturing platform.
- 2018
Initial electrochemical material set developed
[1]KeraCel developed its first electrochemical material set for its battery-manufacturing research.
- 2017
First solid-state battery structure patent
[1]The company filed its first patent for a solid-state battery structure.
- 2016
KeraCel is founded
[1]Robert Bagheri founded the company in San Jose, California, initially under the name KeraCel, to develop solid-state battery structures and additive-manufacturing methods.
Products and positioning
An advanced battery-manufacturing technology company focused on additive production of electrodes and battery cells, with emphasis on configurable designs, multi-material processing, solid-state and lithium-metal architectures, and dry-process manufacturing.
Battery additive-manufacturing platform
Kavian
Kavian is Sakuu’s principal additive-manufacturing platform for battery production. It is designed to print electrodes and support the manufacture of lithium-metal, solid-state, ceramic, and other battery-cell configurations. The platform is described as capable of handling multiple materials and processes while allowing customization of cell shape, dimensions, chemistry, and composition. Its dry-process version became the focus of Sakuu’s 2024 joint development work with SK On.
Ceramic battery technology · 2020
3D-printed ceramic batteries
Sakuu’s ceramic battery work represents an early application of its additive-manufacturing approach. The company reported producing its first 3D-printed ceramic battery in 2020. The technology forms part of Sakuu’s broader effort to use digitally controlled, multi-material printing for solid-state and other advanced battery architectures.
Battery production equipment and process technology
Dry-process electrode manufacturing
Sakuu’s dry-process technology is intended to manufacture battery electrodes while reducing dependence on solvent-based coating and drying steps used in conventional production. The process is associated with the Kavian platform and was selected as the technical center of the company’s joint development agreement with SK On. The available material does not establish a commercial production launch.
Brand decisions
2024
Joint development of dry-process Kavian technology with SK OnStrategyBackground
Sakuu sought to move its battery-printing technology toward industrial manufacturing and selected dry-process electrode production as a key application.
Action taken
Sakuu entered into a joint development agreement with SK On focused on industrializing the dry-process Kavian platform.
Aftermath
The agreement created a development relationship with an established battery manufacturer. Publicly available reference material does not specify commercial volumes, financial terms, or a production timetable.
2023
Proposed public listing through Plum Acquisition Corp. IM&ABackground
Sakuu sought a public-market route through a business combination with the SPAC Plum Acquisition Corp. I.
Action taken
The parties announced a proposed business combination intended to list Sakuu on a U.S. stock exchange.
Aftermath
Sakuu issued a termination notice effective June 14, 2023, and the transaction did not close. Sakuu therefore did not receive a public ticker through the proposal.
Implied enterprise value. Approximately $705 million proposed valuation (2023 transaction announcement)
2021
Rebrand from KeraCel to SakuuStrategyBackground
The company’s work had expanded from solid-state battery structures into a broader additive-manufacturing platform for complex functional devices.
Action taken
KeraCel changed its name to Sakuu Corporation in April 2021.
Aftermath
The Sakuu name became associated with the company’s Kavian additive-manufacturing platform and its battery-production ambitions.
Recent events
- 2024
Sakuu and SK On announce joint development agreement[1]
Other
Sakuu announced a collaboration with SK On focused on industrializing the dry-process Kavian battery-manufacturing platform.
- 2023
Sakuu announces proposed business combination with Plum Acquisition Corp. I[1]
M&A · Other
Sakuu announced a proposed merger with the special purpose acquisition company Plum Acquisition Corp. I. The transaction was intended to make Sakuu publicly traded and implied an enterprise value of approximately $705 million.
- 2023
Sakuu terminates proposed SPAC transaction[1]
M&A · Other
The proposed business combination did not close. Plum disclosed in a Form 8-K that it had received a termination notice from Sakuu effective June 14, 2023.
Sources4 sources
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