Is this startup the key to unlocking better battery performance?
(Startup Valley) When we founded Breathe Battery Technologies in 2019, it came from a frustration I shared with my co-founders, Dr Yan Zhao and Professor Greg Offer. We had spent years working with battery technology at Imperial College London and saw a major gap in how the industry approached performance. While huge amounts of effort were being invested in new battery materials and manufacturing processes, far less attention was being given to how batteries were actually managed once they were in use.
We believed there was enormous untapped potential in the batteries already being produced. That realisation led us to spin Breathe out of Imperial and build a company focused on improving battery performance through advanced software. Our goal has always been simple: help the world transition to electrification faster by enabling companies to get more out of the batteries they already have.
At Breathe, we develop physics-based battery management software designed for electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Breathe Charge uses adaptive charging technology to dynamically adjust the charging current based on the battery’s state of charge and health. In practice, this means the software determines the optimal current for the battery at every moment, allowing devices and vehicles to charge faster while maintaining safety and extending battery lifespan.
Our approach replaces traditional charging strategies that rely on fixed and often conservative rules. Batteries are complex electrochemical systems, yet the software controlling them has historically been simplistic. We use mathematical models that describe what is happening inside the battery at an electrochemical level, and then translate that understanding into software that can optimise performance in real time.
Another important aspect of our work is recognising that every battery is slightly different. Factors such as age, temperature and usage patterns all influence how a battery behaves. Our software analyses these variables and adapts accordingly, enabling manufacturers to unlock performance that would otherwise remain inaccessible.
Since launching the company, one of the biggest challenges has been translating technology developed in a research environment into real-world commercial applications. Moving from laboratory innovation to deployed products requires building the right team, securing investment and developing partnerships with industry leaders. Recruiting the right engineers has also been a challenge, particularly as demand for battery expertise in the UK continues to grow rapidly.
Despite these challenges, the company has grown quickly through collaborations with leading technology and automotive brands. We work with organisations that want to push the boundaries of battery performance, including partners such as Volvo Cars, Rimac, VARTA, Delta Cosworth and the smartphone manufacturer OPPO. These partnerships demonstrate how software-based battery optimisation can deliver real improvements, from faster charging and longer driving range to significantly extended battery lifespan in consumer electronics.
For me, the vision behind Breathe goes beyond improving individual devices. We want to contribute to a future where better batteries support cleaner air, reduced electronic waste and a more sustainable electrified world. By unlocking performance through intelligent software rather than new materials alone, we believe we can accelerate the transition to technologies that are both more efficient and more environmentally responsible.
Ultimately, our mission at Breathe is to help manufacturers deliver better experiences to their customers by enabling batteries to perform closer to their true potential. As electrification continues to expand across industries, software-defined batteries will play an increasingly important role in shaping the next generation of energy systems.