Sakuu Blog
Avinash Ventrapragada, Product Engineer
With his strong mechanical engineering background, Avinash started working in product engineering in the RF communications industry. Now at Sakuu, he works with teams that are developing our next-generation battery and additive manufacturing battery platform.
How do you think your role as a Product Engineer helps the company develop next-gen energy storage solutions?
Sakuu is developing reliable battery manufacturing and battery life cycles. A successful product engineer needs to clearly understand the speed bumps, implement solutions, incorporate details from the battery manufacturing process, run experiments, and evaluate test results and characterize the process. When you put all those pieces together, that’s when the synergy happens.
What does a typical day at Sakuu HQ look like for you?
The truth is there is no ‘typical day’ at Sakuu. Given how fast and nimble our internal teams run, as we race to commercialize our solid-state battery technology, while simultaneously advancing our battery platforms—there are always curveballs and exciting challenges to embrace. But, regarding more typical functions, I’m often deep into process planning, material preparation, designing custom parts and tools that go into the battery fabrication process, and testing them rigorously at a high level to evaluate the effects on battery performance.
What’s on your mind at work right now?
My most humbling feeling at Sakuu is that every individual is a part of something bigger that will eventually transform battery manufacturing. Passionate team members and experienced leadership steer us towards achieving our futuristic and industry-changing goals one step at a time. This keeps me motivated and focused.
What is the most intriguing part about working at Sakuu?
Sakuu has an amazing team with a diverse skill set in the battery field—and all are working relentlessly to develop the next generation battery. With the ever-increasing demand for battery technology, coupled with Sakuu’s innovative methods of battery printing with the Kavian platform, being part of such a dedicated team that is developing such a disruptive technology is inspiring.
What traits would you say a Sakuu employee must have?
Problem-solving skills
To understand the root cause of peculiar problems, process the data, and try to solve them in innovative ways.
Willingness to learn
Sakuu is working towards transforming the current battery manufacturability space with its platform. To develop something radically new one must be willing to learn and adapt to novel methods along the way.
Cross-functional expertise
To be able to work with collaborative experts on understanding and overcoming a problem.