Granarium raises €1M+ to commercialise renewable supercapacitors for grid stability

Overview

Granarium Technologies, a Finnish deeptech startup spun out of state research institute VTT, raised over €1 million in Pre-Seed funding to commercialise renewable supercapacitors for grid stability. The round was led by BSV Ventures and Beamline, with angel networks FiBAN, EstBAN, and LatBAN joining. The company builds 100% renewable supercapacitors from waste wood and biomass, cutting production capital costs by up to 80%, and plans pilot launches within six months.

Key Takeaways

Granarium Technologies closed over €1 million in Pre-Seed funding, led by BSV Ventures and Beamline.
The startup spun out of VTT, the Finnish state research institute, which transferred its patented technology and intellectual property to the new company.
Its supercapacitors are built from upcycled waste wood and biomass bound by a nanocellulose platform, rated 100% renewable.
The material approach delivers up to 80% lower production capital expenditure versus conventional manufacturing methods.
Pilot launches are planned within six months, with initial production targeting up to 50 units per year.
Supercapacitors charge and discharge in milliseconds, filling a fast-response gap that batteries handle less efficiently.

Stats & Key Facts

#€1 million-plus raised in Pre-Seed funding for commercialisation.
#Up to 80% lower production capital expenditure compared with conventional methods.
#Up to 50 units per year targeted in initial small-scale production.
#Six months until the first pilot launches.
#100% renewable material rating for the supercapacitor devices.
#Roughly 40% year-over-year growth in global energy storage demand forecast by UBS for 2026.

€1 Million Pre-Seed Round Led by BSV Ventures and Beamline

The funding brings together venture investors and three regional angel networks.

›BSV Ventures and Beamline co-led the round of more than €1 million.
›FiBAN, the Finnish Business Angels Network, joined alongside Estonian network EstBAN and Latvian network LatBAN.
›The capital is earmarked to industrialise the patented technology and prepare pilot launches.
›Jana Budkovskaja, a partner at BSV Ventures, said storage is no longer treated as backup power and has become core grid infrastructure.

Spun Out of Finland's VTT Research Institute

Granarium began inside one of Europe's largest state research organisations before becoming an independent company.

VTT, the Finnish state research institute, developed the underlying science and transferred the technology and intellectual property to the newly formed business. The discovery came from VTT scientists who found that electricity storage devices could be built from renewable materials sourced from Finnish forests.

Two of those researchers, Otto-Ville Kaukoniemi and Vesa Kunnari, are co-founders of the company. The spinout model lets the technology move from the lab toward industrial production under a dedicated commercial team.

Supercapacitors From Waste Wood and Nanocellulose

The product is built on a material platform that replaces conventional inputs with upcycled biomass.

›A nanocellulose platform binds biocarbon structures to form the storage device.
›Raw inputs include waste wood and agricultural residues rather than mined or synthetic materials.
›The finished devices are rated 100% renewable and upcycle materials that would otherwise be discarded.
›The renewable approach cuts production capital expenditure by up to 80% against traditional methods.

How Supercapacitors Differ From Batteries

The two technologies solve different parts of the grid problem.

Supercapacitors store and release power in milliseconds, which suits fast-response events on the grid. Batteries hold energy for longer durations but respond more slowly, so the two technologies complement rather than replace each other.

Granarium targets the market for short, high-frequency balancing, a segment the company describes as underserved. This fast-response layer helps keep electricity supply and demand matched when generation swings up or down.

Grid Stability and Frequency Response for Industry

The technology is aimed at operations that cannot tolerate power interruptions.

›Target customers include process industries and continuously running operations such as paper mills, data centres, and pharmaceutical plants.
›These facilities face rising grid volatility as more variable renewable power comes online.
›The devices provide frequency response, smoothing fluctuations between generation and demand.
›CEO Paula Viinamäki said deployment is as simple as installing a battery.

From Nokia and Microsoft to Renewable Energy

The company is led by an executive with a corporate technology background.

Paula Viinamäki held leadership roles at Nokia and Microsoft and later co-founded a software startup before joining VTT as commercialisation lead. She now serves as CEO of Granarium, pairing commercial experience with the institute's research base.

The combination of seasoned leadership and university science is a common pattern for deeptech spinouts, where the challenge is moving a proven lab result into reliable, repeatable manufacturing.

Why Energy Storage Demand Is Climbing

Market conditions are pushing storage from optional to essential.

As grids absorb more wind and solar power, output becomes less predictable and harder to balance. Fast-response storage helps hold supply and demand steady when generation changes quickly, supporting grid resilience across the EU.

UBS forecasts global energy storage demand to grow roughly 40% year over year in 2026, driven by the shift to renewable generation. Rising demand for short-duration, high-frequency balancing is the part of the market Granarium aims to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did Granarium Technologies raise and who invested?

Granarium raised over €1 million in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by BSV Ventures and Beamline, with participation from angel networks FiBAN, EstBAN, and LatBAN.

What does Granarium make?

It makes renewable supercapacitors that store and release electricity fast for grid stability and frequency response. The devices are built from waste wood and biomass bound by a nanocellulose platform and are rated 100% renewable.

How is a supercapacitor different from a battery?

Supercapacitors charge and discharge in milliseconds, which suits fast-response grid events, while batteries store energy for longer durations but respond more slowly. The two technologies serve different needs and work alongside each other.

What will the funding be used for?

The capital will industrialise the patented technology and prepare pilot launches within six months. Initial production targets up to 50 units per year as the company scales toward commercial volumes.

Where did the technology come from?

It was developed at VTT, the Finnish state research institute, which transferred the technology and intellectual property to the new company. Two VTT scientists who helped discover the approach are co-founders.

Granarium's Pre-Seed round positions a VTT spinout to test renewable supercapacitors in real industrial settings within six months. If the pilots hold up, the company aims to serve the fast-response grid balancing market with devices made from waste wood at a fraction of conventional production cost.