Alex Kosyakov

Post-pitch story

Alex Kosyakov founded Natrion to work on one of battery technology's hardest problems: solid-state separators that make lithium batteries safer and more energy-dense. He pitched it on the show's "Holy Grail of Battery Tech" episode — and got funded on air. That was just the start. In May 2022, Natrion raised a $2 million seed round led by TechNexus, with Mark Cuban among the participants, followed by additional seed tranches backed by Illinois Ventures. Then came the manufacturing buildout: in September 2025, Natrion opened a new production facility in Cheektowaga, New York, supported by a $1.3 million New York Power Authority grant, with capacity to produce 250,000 square meters of separator material a year. Three months later, Empire State Development announced a further expansion at the same site creating up to 19 new jobs. Kosyakov is still CEO, and Natrion has grown from a college-town startup into a real New York battery manufacturer — exactly the trajectory the show's investors bet on.