BMW i Ventures has co-led an $11 million seed round for Estes Energy Solutions, Inc., a California-based innovator in battery materials and manufacturing. The funding round, announced on July 23, 2025, was co-led alongside Fortescue Ventures and included participation from New Systems Ventures and DCVC. With this latest investment, Estes has secured a total of $20 million in capital to date. The new funds will support the completion of Estes’ chemistry-agnostic battery pack platform and the establishment of domestic pilot manufacturing capacity.
Estes is developing a modular battery pack architecture designed to accommodate different cell chemistries. The platform includes an LFP-powered variant targeting cost-sensitive applications and a nickel-powered variant optimized for weight-sensitive use cases. Both configurations are engineered for heavy-duty applications and share common integration points, enabling OEMs to address a wide array of markets through a single development effort.
“What makes Estes different isn’t just the unique technology—it’s the people.” said Baris Guzel, Partner at BMW i Ventures. “This is a team that’s been in the trenches, building rugged, high-density battery systems with real-world safety and scale in mind. It’s that rare blend of deep engineering chops, operator mindset, and execution urgency. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with them.”
Strong interest from commercial partners and OEMs across sectors such as defense, aviation, marine, rail, and off-highway has driven the need for the pilot line. This facility will allow Estes to begin fulfilling strategic contracts while contributing to the resilience of the U.S. battery supply chain. “We’re experiencing a broadening of demand across new electrification markets. From defense and aviation to marine, rail, and off-highway sectors, the need for the next generation of battery systems is accelerating,” said Dustin Grace, CEO of Estes. “This funding propels us towards serving these markets at the level of performance, economics, and domestic resilience necessary for sustainable growth.”
Estes plans to use the new capital to expand its development team, complete its pilot manufacturing setup, and start shipping systems to early customers in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Source: BMW PressClub USA
