Beyond Lithium-Ion - Solid-State, Sodium-Ion & Silicon-Anode Breakthroughs

Over the past 25+ years, I've had the opportunity to work at the intersection of clean technology, policy, investment, and scale-up-across the U.S., India, and global platforms. I currently lead two ventures:  President, NETRA (NetZero Energy Transition Association) - a global, not-for-profit alliance dedicated to accelerating commercialization and manufacturing of net-zero technologies through policy, capital, and collaboration. Founder, Walawalkar Enterprise LLP - a clean tech advisory firm supporting startups, investors, governments, and corporates in navigating emerging technologies, market access, and strategic growth.Previously, I founded and built the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) into a 200-member powerhouse, shaping key battery, e-mobility, and energy storage policies across India. I also led the Emerging Technologies practice at Customized Energy Solutions for nearly two decades.I'm passionate about shortening the time from lab-to-market for game-changing climate technologies-and bringing people together to make that happen. I actively speak at global forums and am open to strategic advisory or board roles with organizations aligned with energy transition, innovation, and sustainability.Let's connect if you're working on bold ideas to enable a net-zero future-or want to collaborate across industry, research, or policy.

Neeraj Kumar Singal is the Managing Director of Semco Infratech, a leading provider of advanced lithium-ion battery assembly and testing solutions in India. With over two decades of entrepreneurial experience, he has been instrumental in driving innovation and enabling the clean energy transition through cutting-edge battery technologies. At Semco, Neeraj spearheads the development of end-to-end solutions for battery manufacturing, including assembly lines, testing equipment, and energy storage systems (BESS). Under his leadership, thecompany has emerged as a trusted partner to top OEMs, EV manufacturers, andenergy solution providers across India and beyond. He is a passionate leader and entrepreneurwho is on a mission to create and support sustainable clean energy enterprisesthat leverage new technologies and offer Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) tocustomers. He is also a strategic investor who enjoys connecting with andpartnering with innovative and ambitious individuals and businesses across theglobe. He is an active member of several industry associations and leadershipcommunities, such as ASSOCHAM, PHD, CII, FICCI, IESA, YPO, NETRA and the HBSClub of India. He has authored and presented multiple articles and viewpointson topics such as lithium-ion batteries, battery energy storage systems,electric cars, and emerging business models.   

Venkat Rajaraman: Venkat is the Founder/CEO of Cygni Energy, a leading storage technology company specializing in advanced energy storage solutions for Electric Vehicles (EVs) and stationary storage (Grid-scale, C&I and Telecom Storage) applications. Cygni has deployed over 200MWh of storage solutions and powered over 200,000 Electric Vehicles. Venkat has over 25 years of experience in Product Design and Engineering.  Earlier to moving to energy storage space, he was the Vice President of Engineering at Portal Player, a company that was acquired by NVIDIA Corp. He worked at Sun Microsystems, USA and has a master's degree in Electrical Engineeringfrom Stanford University.  

Mr. Preetesh Singh works as a Specialist CASE and Alternate Powertrains for Nomura Research Institute Consulting and Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. He has been working on strategy and operational consulting projects for global automotive OEMs, suppliers, R&D organizations, and governments. He specializes in CASE and Alternate Powertrains and has spent over a decade on researching various topics related to Automotive Industry for the Indian and global markets. He has been instrumental in setting up the Policy Advocacy, ER&D and Alternate powertrain themes for NRI India Preetesh is a well-known thought leader in the Automotive industry, having written over 20 reports and articles in collaboration with associations and leading media outlets. He has also spoken at various webinars and conferences about Automotive industry, including Economic times, Assocham, PHD Chamber of Commerce, CVF, REI Expo, The Battery Show India, EV Reporter, Traffic Infra Expo, EMobility+, Battery India, The Smarter India, I-Tech Media, and others. Preetesh Singh has been actively spreading awareness of alternate fuel and powertrains and their role in future amongst the students by taking guest lectures on the alternate powertrains in different institutes such as NMIMS, Bits Pilani etc.