Jolt Activated Electrodes

Jolt Activated Electrodes (Jolt.tech) is a deep-tech company spun out from the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) in 2022. The company was founded by serial entrepreneur Leon Rizzi, COO Arturo Vilavella, CTO Dr. Alberto Bucci, and Chief Scientist, ICREA Professor Julio Lloret Fillol. The founders combined entrepreneurial experience with scientific expertise in catalysis and electrochemistry to address a key bottleneck in the green hydrogen sector.

Jolt has developed a proprietary catalytic coating process called Sparkfuze™. This technology applies nanocrystal catalyst layers to electrodes through a rapid, low-power exothermal reaction that takes less than a minute. The process impregnates and fuses catalysts into the substrate, creating highly durable and efficient electrodes. This method aims to replace slower, energy-intensive, and more expensive traditional electrode production techniques. The Sparkfuze™ technology allows for the reduction or elimination of precious and critical raw materials like platinum and iridium. Jolt’s electrodes have demonstrated a lifespan of over 10 years, a significant improvement over the 3-5 year lifespan of incumbent products.

The company's primary market is manufacturers of electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, including alkaline water electrolysers (AWE) and anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysers. Jolt's business model includes supplying electrodes at volume from its production facilities and deploying dedicated, automated production lines directly at customer sites for just-in-time delivery. The company's first GW-scale factory began operations in Barcelona in 2024. In addition to green hydrogen, Jolt is expanding into other markets, including water treatment, disinfection, CO2 electrolyzers, redox flow batteries, chlor-alkali, and electrowinning.

Jolt has secured significant funding to scale its operations. A Series A round in June 2023 raised €6 million, led by Climentum Capital, with participation from Ship2B Ventures and Axon Partners Group. This was followed by a €6 million Series A+ round in December 2025, with investors including CDP Venture Capital and Santander Innoenergy. The company also received a $10 million grant from the Chilean government agency Corfo to build a manufacturing line in Chile to support Latin America's green hydrogen industry. Total funding has reached over $25 million.

Keywords: catalytic coating, electrodes, green hydrogen, Sparkfuze, electrolyzers, electrochemistry, AWE, AEM, ICIQ spinoff, decarbonization, fuel cells, water treatment, Leon Rizzi, solution combustion, nanocrystal catalyst, PGM-free, platinum group metals, Climentum Capital, deep tech, industrial manufacturing