# Green Li-ion Financial Model Technology licensor that converts black mass from spent lithium-ion batteries into battery-grade cathode material via its proprietary GLMC process. - Canonical: https://finamodel.com/startups/green-li-ion - Excel download: https://finamodel.com/startup-models/green-li-ion.xlsx - Category: Climate/Energy - Model type: Unit-economics / DTC - Funding round: Series A - Funding: $11.55M - Founded: 2022 - Geography: Singapore-headquartered; global ambition (references Asia, USA, Austria accelerators). - Customer: B2C ## About the company Green Li-ion licenses its GLMC technology to turn battery-recycling black mass into battery-grade cathode materials. The bolt-on machine supports major lithium-ion chemistries, removes processing steps from the conventional recycling chain, and can process about two metric tonnes a day. Customers retain use of machines over a ten-year life while Green Li-ion retains title, supplies maintenance, and receives 30% of each machine's gross profit. The proposition depends on materially higher value from cathode output than selling black mass, with commodity pricing referenced to SMM and LME benchmarks. The model should build recurring revenue machine by machine: deployments, throughput, utilisation, cathode pricing, client gross profit, and the 30% share. Because the company owns the equipment, it also needs a capex, depreciation, maintenance-engineer, and cash-flow schedule, with deployment pace and commodity prices as core sensitivities. ## What's included - 5-year monthly revenue build with stage-appropriate growth assumptions - Full P&L, headcount plan, and operating-expense schedule - Cash-flow statement, runway, and burn-rate tracking - Valuation via exit multiple with a DCF cross-check - Returns analysis with MOIC and IRR - Unit economics including CAC, LTV, payback, and cohort retention ## Product & value proposition - Proprietary GLMC (Green Li-ion Machine Cathode) technology - bolt-on to existing recycling lines. - Takes black mass (from crushed/shredded spent batteries) as feedstock input and outputs battery-grade cathode material (NMC 111, 811, 622, 535; Pure Lithium Carbonate; CoSO4, NiSO4, MnSO4). - Machine throughput: 2 MT per day; 1 metric ton per 10 hours. - Eliminates 2 supply chain steps (precious metal refiner + cathode manufacturer) vs. conventional process. - Supports all 6 major Li-ion battery chemistries (LCO, LMO, NMC, LFP, NCA, LTO). - Claims >4x profit vs. black mass sale and profit & efficiency improvement up to 10x. - Zero toxic discharge, zero landfill. ## Market - Global battery recycling market (value of scrapped LIBs): $2B (2005) → $20B (2030) → $100B (2040). - Currently 95% of spent Li-ion batteries are NOT recycled (go to landfill). - No SAM or SOM breakdown provided. ## Revenue model - Profit-share licence model: battery recyclers/manufacturers license the GLMC machine. - Green Li-ion retains title to machines; clients have use for 10-year machine life. - GL takes 30% of unit Gross Profit per machine as the licence fee. - GL claims 6-month ROI for the client on their investment. - GL holds exclusive maintenance contract and supplies 1 maintenance engineer per machine. - Commodity pricing for cathode material agreed in advance referencing SMM & LME benchmarks. - Revenue is therefore: (# machines deployed) × (throughput per machine) × (cathode material price) × 30% share. ## Traction & metrics - Recognition awards cited (2021): HSBC Cities of the Future Urban Champions; Microsoft Global Social Entrepreneurs; SOSV Climate Tech 100; Asia's 27th most transformative company. ## Unit economics - Machine throughput: 2 MT/day (48 hrs → ~24 MT/week per machine implied). - Cathode output value: >4x gross profit vs. black mass. - Client ROI: 6 months. - GL revenue share: 30% of unit gross profit per machine. - Machine life: 10 years. - No absolute dollar unit economics (machine cost, cathode $/tonne, gross margin %) disclosed. ## Competition / moat - Current recyclers: battery recyclers & 2nd-use players produce only black mass (low value). Refiners (Tanaka, SK, JX Nippon, China), cathode manufacturers (SK, Sumitomo, Pulead), and battery makers (Panasonic, LG, CATL) are separate steps. - GL collapses 5-step chain to 3 steps, eliminating steps 3 & 4. - Moat: proprietary GLMC-1+2 process technology (developed by CTO Dr. Reza Katal, NUS PhD, 10 years hydromet LIB experience). ## Team & funding ask / use of funds - Leon Farrant, CEO - 15 years energy sector, MBA. - Dr. Reza Katal, CTO - PhD NUS, 10 years hydrometallurgical LIB processing; invented GLMC process. - Advisory/staff team of ~10 named members across commercial, technology, engineering, finance. ## Recommended financial model - **Archetype + why:** Machine-deployment unit economics model (licensing / profit-share variant). This is not a SaaS, marketplace, or DTC business - it is a capital-equipment licensor earning a recurring % of client gross profit. The right model builds from: (machines deployed per year) × (throughput × utilisation × cathode price × 30% share) = GL recurring revenue, plus maintenance contract fees. A thin 3-statement wrapper is needed to capture COGS (engineer costs, machine manufacturing or capex), opex, and path to profitability. - **Forecast horizon & granularity:** 5 years, monthly for Y1–Y2, quarterly thereafter. Machine deployment pipeline is the key gating variable. - **Key drivers & assumptions:** - Machines deployed (cumulative): ramp from 0 → 5 → 15 → 35 → 60 over Y1–Y5; rationale: early-stage, long sales cycles with industrial operators. - Machine throughput: 2 MT/day; assume 300 operating days/year → 600 MT/machine/year. - Utilisation rate: 70% in Y1–Y2, 80% thereafter; rationale: ramp-up, downtime. - Black mass feedstock cost to client: ~$200–400/tonne (market range); GL does not pay this - client does. - Battery-grade cathode material price: ~$15,000–25,000/tonne NMC (LME/SMM range); use mid-case $20,000/tonne as base. - Client gross profit per tonne of cathode (vs. black mass): claims >4x; model as 3.5x uplift in gross profit for conservatism - to be validated with absolute $ benchmarks. - GL revenue share: 30% of client unit gross profit per machine. - Maintenance contract fee: $50K/machine/year; rationale: typical industrial maintenance contract. - Machine COGS (manufacturing cost): $500K–$1M per unit; rationale: industrial hydromet equipment; GL retains title so this is a GL capex/asset. - Maintenance engineer cost: $80K/year fully-loaded per machine (Singapore/global blended); 1 engineer per machine. - Opex (R&D, G&A, commercial): $2M in Y1, growing 20% per year. - Machine useful life: 10 years; depreciation straight-line. - **Scenarios (Base / Bull / Bear - which variables flex):** - Base: mid cathode price ($20K/tonne), 70–80% utilisation, machine deployment as above. - Bull: higher cathode prices ($25K/tonne), faster deployment (2× machines), 85% utilisation. - Bear: lower cathode price ($15K/tonne), slow deployment (0.5× machines), 60% utilisation, longer sales cycle. - Key flex variables: cathode spot price (SMM/LME), deployment pace, utilisation rate. - **Required sheets / outputs:** 1. Assumptions & Inputs (all drivers centrally toggled) 2. Machine deployment schedule (cumulative units by period) 3. Revenue build: throughput × utilisation × cathode price × 30% share + maintenance fees 4. COGS & gross margin (engineer costs, machine depreciation) 5. Opex (R&D, G&A, sales) 6. EBITDA bridge 7. Simplified 3-statement (P&L, working capital, cash flow) - needed to size funding requirement 8. Scenario toggle (Base / Bull / Bear) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Green Li-ion financial model free? Yes. The Green Li-ion model is a free Excel download with live formulas. ### Can I change the assumptions? Yes. The workbook is editable and its live formulas recalculate when assumptions change.