Mitra Chem: Charging Ahead with Battery Materials Manufacturing

This case follows Vivas Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Mitra Chem, as he faces a critical strategic decision about the company’s manufacturing future. Founded in 2021, Mitra Chem develops innovative iron-rich cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, using machine learning to accelerate the development process. After successfully raising $80 million and proving their technology through contract manufacturing, Kumar must decide whether to build the company’s first owned manufacturing facility in the United States or South Korea. The decision involves complex trade-offs between operational advantages, government relationships, and long-term strategic positioning. The case explores how early-stage climate tech companies navigate manufacturing scale-up decisions while balancing relationships with government stakeholders, strategic partners, and investors. It highlights the unique challenges of building hard tech companies in regulated industries and illustrates how founders make high-stakes strategic decisions with limited resources and competing stakeholder interests.