Otoro Energy Inc.

The University of Colorado Connection

Otoro Energy was founded in 2020 by Michael Marshak  (CU Boulder Chemistry) to commercialize a breakthrough flow battery technology developed in his CU Boulder laboratory. The company’s patented electrolyte, licensed from CU Boulder, offers key advantages: it is low-cost, derived from abundant and non-critical minerals, water-based (pH-neutral), non-corrosive, non-flammable and non-toxic. Compared to vanadium-based systems, Otoro’s electrolyte is 1/10th the cost and delivers 15% higher voltage, enabling high efficiency. Moreover, Otoro’s electrolyte chemistry can be integrated into existing vanadium flow battery systems with small modifications, enabling rapid scale-up and deployment. 

Otoro has received grants from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, Office of Electricity and Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, as well as grants from National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). 

Otoro has also participated in the Innosphere Cleantech Incubator Program and Third Derivative Accelerator and placed 2^nd in the 2024 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Industry Growth Forum.

Otoro has also secured seed investment from a major U.S. utility, with whom it will deliver its first pilot battery system to showcase its superior performance and scalability.

Funding Status and Investment Opportunities

• Industry: Environment and Sustainability​, Cleantech, Advanced Materials
• Funding Stage: Seed Round
• Contact for Investment Inquiries: Mike Marshak, mike@otoroenergy.com

    This page was last updated on Feb. 11, 2025. Please email vpnews@colorado.edu for corrections or updates