Inside the Cell: Unlocking India’s Battery Chemistry • @DCIW 2026 • Feb 20 • Delhi-NCR
A DeepTech DeepDive Event during Delhi Climate Innovation Week 2026, hosted by Beyond Next Ventures Inc. and SanchiConnect.
India has hundreds of "battery manufacturers," yet most remain pack assemblers. We are effectively trading oil dependency for battery dependency. It’s time to shift the lens "Inside the Cell."
The narrative that "India can't compete on cell chemistry" is too pessimistic. It’s time to stop admiring the problem and focus on breakthrough, audacious solutions. The answers to cost parity and raw material sourcing already exist in Indian labs.
This event is not a critique of the problems in the ecosystem - they are true but useless. It is a deep-dive for knowledge transfer from those who have already cracked the code on commercialization—moving the dialogue beyond the application layer (EVs) to the value creation layer (chemistry).
Key Explorations:
The "Assembly Trap": The answers to Cost Parity and Supply Chain security already exist in Indian labs. How do we commercialize them before we lose the energy race?
The Billion $ Gap: India’s BESS market will hit $19.4B by 2035. Who captures this value—Indian innovators or foreign cell suppliers?
The Chemistry Pivot: Is the future just optimizing Li-ion for Indian temperatures, or leaping to Sodium-ion?
Anchor Experts
The two-way dialogue and deep-dive will be anchored by:
Sanid Patil - Sr. AVP & Sector Lead, Invest India
Pankaj Sharma - Ex-Co-Founder, Log9 Materials
Pratyush Sinha - VP of Special Projects, Lohum
Who Should Attend
This is a curated session for those building the "hard tech" of energy storage:
The Builders:
Founders working on cell components (anodes/cathodes), advanced Li-ion, Sodium-ion, and other novel chemistries.
Scientists and Researchers who want to see their work deployed in the grid, not just published in journals.
The Enablers: Policy shapers (NITI Aayog, BIS) and Grid Infrastructure experts.
The Backers: Investors with a specific mandate for hard-tech and climate infrastructure.
The Buyers: Enterprises/supply chains that procure cell chemistry and battery technologies
Agenda
5:00 PM: Doors Open & Settle Down
5:15 PM: The Deep Dive (Anchored by Experts)
6:30 PM: Open Floor Debate / Q&A
7:00 PM: Networking Mixer
Where & When:
Date: Friday, February 20, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM IST
Venue: Gurgaon (Exact location details sent upon approval)
Entry: By approval only (to curate a highly relevant audience)
About Beyond Next Ventures
Beyond Next Ventures Inc. is an early-stage deep-tech venture capital firm with presence in Japan and India. We are driven by our mission to enable exceptional entrepreneurs solving global challenges for healthier populace and a happier planet. Founded in 2014, we have made over 80 investments across both countries. We have a portfolio of 15 companies in India.
We focus on seed and pre-series A stage deep-tech startups, with ticket sizes ranging from $300,000 to $1.5 million. We typically co-lead investment rounds and are committed to providing follow-on funding to our portfolio companies in future rounds.
Website: https://beyondnextventures.com/
Portfolio: https://beyondnextventures.com/portfolio/
About SanchiConnect
SanchiConnect is one of India’s largest deep and emerging tech ecosystem platform. Founded in 2019 and started as a subsidiary of Baring PE India, SanchiConnect plays a catalytic role in strengthening India’s deep-tech ecosystem through capital access, strategic partnerships, thematic industry platforms, ecosystem convenings, and commercialization enablement.
From manufacturing and mobility to climate, energy, quantum computing and frontier technologies, SanchiConnect works across multiple layers of the innovation value chain - connecting builders with backers, infrastructure, and real deployment opportunities.
Website: https://sanchiconnect.com/
About Delhi Climate Innovation Week 2026
Delhi Climate Innovation Week 2026 (DCIW'26) is the inaugural edition of the Global South's largest climate innovation gathering, scheduled for 20-27 February 2026 across Delhi-NCR.
DCIW'26 will bring together founders, investors, policymakers, corporates, and ecosystem builders under one roof. The platform aims to position the Global South as leaders in climate innovation and accelerate solution deployment through collaboration.
With over 200+ partner-led events and an anticipated 50,000+ eyeballs, DCIW'26 will serve as a powerful network effect platform for climate innovation across emerging markets.
Website: www.delhi.climateinnovationweek.org
Questions?
Reach out to Aravind at [email protected]