Alexander L. Girau

Alexander Girau is the CEO and Co-founder of Group1, a high-tech startup company developing potassium-ion battery technology as a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion systems. Girau is leading the commercialization of an advanced battery material innovation invented in the laboratories of UT-Austin Professor John Goodenough, the recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and globally recognized co-inventor of the LIB. With over 15 years of experience in materials, chemicals, and batteries, Girau has raised over $30 million throughout his career to support advanced material startups accelerating the Energy Transition. He has secured exclusive licenses for more than 25 patents from prestigious institutions, including Tulane University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Sharp Corporation Japan. Girau originally entered the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) Ph.D. program at Tulane University, focusing on the processing of nanostructured materials. However, he graduated with an M.S. to start Advano, a spin-out focusing on silicon nanomaterial additives for lithium-ion batteries. He is a Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund and an alumnus of Y Combinator. Previously, he was a Visiting Researcher in the Department of CBE at Tulane University and currently contributes to the global energy transition as a fellow at the University of Texas Energy Institute​.