About the Company

Out of the Box Thinking is Creating Innovative Battery Materials

Nuvola is a full-stack execution team with deep expertise in energy technology and commercialization. Founded by Dr. Janet Hur and Dr. Leland Smith, who began collaborating during their time at UCLA, Nuvola was built to solve critical inefficiencies in battery manufacturing. That mission led to the invention of SafeCoat DDS, a fundamentally new separator solution.

Selected by Y Combinator early in its journey, Nuvola has validated both its technology and its transformative vision. With just $6 million raised, the team advanced SafeCoat from concept to pilot scale, surpassing what many heavily funded competitors have achieved.

Since 2018, Nuvola has built a global IP portfolio with over 11 patents across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, securing both technical originality and commercial protection. The Nuvola team is experienced, capital-efficient, and committed to scaling SafeCoat into the global battery industry.

Meet the Team

Management

Janet Hur, founder of MilliBatt
CEO & Cofounder
Board Director

Janet Hur

Forbes 50 Women-led Startup 
UCLA Mechanical Engineering
Microbatteries & Fuel Cells

Leland Smith
CTO & Cofounder
Board Director

Leland Smith, PhD

UCLA Materials Science
Lithium-ion Battery Materials
Materials for batteries & supercapacitors

henry
Board Director

Henry Park

35 years energy experience, Unicorn Exit
Coeur Renewables
Founder and Managing Partner of
Energy Power Partners

david
Board Director

David McHale

35 years energy experience
Cofounder Coeur Renewables
Former EVP, CFO of Eversource Energy

Advisors

Bruce Dunn
Science Advisor

Prof. Bruce Dunn

Nippon sheet glass
Chair in Materials Science, UCLA

Peter Santos
Business Advisor

Peter Santos

11-year CEO at Audience, from idea stage to IPO

Cathal Phelan
Business Advisor

Cathal Phelan

5-year CTO at Cypress Semiconductor

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