Imperial Incubator Success Story: RFC Power

RFC Power

RFC Power is dedicated to helping the world store renewable energy, simply and safely so it can be used whenever it’s needed. The company specialises in developing novel flow battery chemistries for energy storage systems.

Originally spun out from Imperial College London’s Department of Engineering and Department of Chemistry, the core activities of RFC Power are the chemistry, cell architecture and the optimisation of flow battery stack components. RFC Power is working with partners to build and market its storage systems making use of existing production facilities, supplier networks and economies of scale.

Fast facts:

• Founders: Imperial’s Professor Nigel Brandon, Professor Anthony Kucernak, Dr Vladimir Yufit, and Dr. Javier Rubio Garcia
• Founding year: 2017
• Graduation from the Incubator: April 2023
• Currently based: Scale Space, White City Innovation District
• Current no. of employees: 10
• Funding raised to date: $5.5M

1. How has being supported by Imperial Incubator contributed to your success?
   Getting access to lab space in the Incubator was critical to enabling RFC Power to develop our unique energy storage technology. This space came with the facilities we needed to conduct our chemistry and materials research, and the flexibility that allowed us to expand as the business grew.  The in-house support provided by the Incubator team allowed us to focus on the business and our technology, accelerating our development and enabling us to hit key milestones.
2. What impact has being part of the Incubator had on your ability to raise funding and investment?Being able to invite potential investors to visit our labs and facilities in the incubator was a big part of building credibility for RFC Power, making it easier for investors to understand our technology.
3. What collaborations and new opportunities has being based in White City Innovation District opened up?
   Being part of the White City Innovation District gives us access to a huge range of facilities that we have made use of on multiple occasions, including the Agilent Suite in the MSRH and the Royce Centre in the Uren building. It has also made it easier to hire new employees, as they are attracted to working in such an innovative and dynamic environment.
4. How important has access to advanced facilities and lab space been to your innovation journey?
   Getting access to high quality lab space was the number 1 motivation for us in joining the Incubator. We were at a critical stage of technology development, with some aggressive performance targets to hit. Being able to move into a fully fitted lab allowed us to hit the ground running and start working on technology development on day one.
5. What is the single highlight of your time in the Incubator?
   The highlight of our time at the Incubator was actually our graduation from the programme after 3 years.  It was recognition that we had transitioned from being a fledgling start-up to a growing business, having secured 2 rounds of seed funding and multiple grants. We were so satisfied with our set up that we actually stayed in the labs we have been renting from the Incubator when they moved over to Scale Space and have gradually taken on more space over the last 2 years.
6. What’s next for the company?
   We are in the process of wrapping up a Series A funding round, building on successful corporate partnerships with leaders in the global renewable energy industry, and are ready to scale.