Battolyser Systems is a Rotterdam-based deep tech scale-up tackling the dual challenges of green hydrogen production and renewable energy storage. The company’s breakthrough technology merges an electrolyzer with integrated battery capacity, enabling industries to balance energy grids while producing clean hydrogen.
At October’s Scale 100 Forum, we caught up with Mattijs Slee, Battolyser Systems’ CEO and Co-founder. We dove into his vision, as well as the company’s innovative technology, key achievements, and what they’re getting out of their EIC Scaling Club membership.
You can also listen to the interview recording here (or watch the video below):
Battolyser Systems’ innovation lies in a century-old quirk of chemistry. The company’s core technology is built on a reversible iron-nickel electrochemical system, originally designed for batteries. Historically, scientists tried to suppress its tendency to produce hydrogen during charging. But the scale-up, co-founded by battolyser inventor Professor Fokko Mulder, flipped the script:
"We realized this ‘flaw’ could solve two problems at once – storing renewable energy and producing green hydrogen."
So, when the energy prices are low, the system converts excess energy into hydrogen. When demand or prices spike – it discharges the energy back into the grid.
This dual functionality addresses key obstacles in the energy transition. While some sectors, like transportation, can switch to electricity, others – such as aviation, heavy industry, and fertilizer production – continue to depend on green molecules like hydrogen. “Our tech bridges these worlds,” says Mattijs. “It’s about building an integrated system where renewables power everything – directly or via hydrogen.”
“In the beginning, it was just us and a lab prototype,” Mattijs recalls. The team’s first major hurdle was proving that their solution could withstand the demands of industrial-scale operations. For two years, they tested the system under real-world conditions, battling skepticism and technical setbacks.
Current challenges center on scaling. A megawatt-scale demonstration in Rotterdam’s port is on the cards, and the team’s developing a next-gen product targeting cost and efficiency gains by 2025.
Battolyser Systems’ team has evolved alongside the product:
“You can have a great technology, but you need a team to build that into a commercial product and sell it to customers.”
Starting with a small group of early believers, the company now relies on specialized experts to tackle scaling, manufacturing, and market penetration. “We’re probably in our third incarnation right now,” Mattijs explains, referencing the company’s iterative growth and predicting several more iterations to come.
Battolyser Systems’ participation in the EIC Scaling Club aligns with its pan-European vision. “We need to think beyond national borders and make this work as Europe as a whole,” Mattijs stresses. He highlights the fragmented nature of EU clean-tech efforts, where individual member states lack the scale to compete globally. The Club’s network offers a platform to collaborate with peers, investors, and mentors who understand the complexities of scaling capital-intensive technologies.
For Mattijs, peer learning is invaluable. “I would really like to learn from others who’ve been on a similar journey,” he says, emphasizing the need for mentorship to avoid unnecessary mistakes. The Club’s structured programs also provide access to investors and customers, crucial for a company navigating a nascent market.
“Connecting with new people, particularly investors and customers, is key.”
Looking ahead, Battolyser Systems aims to leverage these connections to accelerate its European rollout. By fostering cross-border partnerships and advocating for long-term industrial strategies, the company hopes to position itself – and Europe – as a leader in the global energy transition. “We have to help one another to create enough gravity to be impactful,” Mattijs concludes.
Watch the full interview with Mattijs Slee below, or visit our YouTube channel to explore our other videos:
The EIC Scaling Club is a curated community where 120+ European deep tech scale-ups with the potential to build world-class businesses and solve major global challenges come together with investors, corporate innovators and other industry stakeholders to spur growth.
The top 120+ European deep tech companies will be carefully selected from a pool of high-growth scale-ups that have benefitted from EIC financial schemes, other European and national innovation programmes, and beyond.
The EIC Scaling Club is an EIC-funded initiative run in partnership by Tech Tour, Bpifrance (EuroQuity), Hello Tomorrow, Tech.eu (Webrazzi), EurA and IESE Business School.
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