The Buzz

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Volt Harbor Publicly Launches with $2M Seed Round to Scale Modular, Software-Defined Energy Storage for Data Centers and the Grid

Patented MAC-BESS™ platform integrates battery storage, advanced power electronics, and computing in a single modular system that supports both new and second-life batteries

ANN ARBOR, MI — May 28, 2026 — Volt 

Volt Harbor Publicly Launches with $2M Seed Round to Scale Modular, Software-Defined Energy Storage for Data Centers and the Grid

Patented MAC-BESS™ platform integrates battery storage, advanced power electronics, and computing in a single modular system that supports both new and second-life batteries

ANN ARBOR, MI — May 28, 2026 — Volt Harbor has closed a $2 million seed financing round led by MFV Partners to publicly launch and scale commercialization of its patented MAC-BESS™ technology. The modular, software-defined energy storage platform is engineered to address two of the fastest-growing pain points on the modern grid: data center power demand and aging utility infrastructure. Volt Harbor’s seed financing will accelerate its transition from pilot to commercial deployment across both areas.

Unlike conventional battery energy storage systems (BESS), Medium Access Control (MAC)-BESS™ is modeled on computer networking architecture, utilizing software to enable battery modules from different manufacturers and chemistries to share and coordinate power flow through the system in real time. Volt Harbor integrates battery storage, advanced power electronics, and on-board computing into a single modular product class built on six patents licensed from the University of Michigan. Its technology can be configured for new (“first-life”) battery cells in high-reliability data center deployments, or for end-of-life (“second-life”) EV batteries in cost-sensitive commercial, industrial, and utility-scale applications.

“Energy storage and power electronics have always been treated as separate boxes. We’ve integrated them, along with on-board computing, into a single, software-defined product class,” said Dr. Al-Thaddeus Avestruz, President, CEO, and co-founder of Volt Harbor, and a former professor at the University of Michigan, where the company licensed its core technology. “That combination is where the real performance, reliability, and cost advantages come from, and what data center and grid operators are looking for as they look to access more reliable power on a faster time scale.”

"The next generation of grid-scale and data center storage will be defined by software systems, not hardware alone," said Karthee Madasamy, Managing Partner of MFV Partners. "Volt Harbor's architecture is one of the few we've seen that genuinely meets that bar, and the team is going after the opportunity at exactly the right moment. Millions of EV batteries are about to reach the end of their automotive life, and Volt Harbor's platform is well positioned to put them back to work at a cost point new-build systems can't match."

A New Energy Product Class for the Data Center Power Stack

Demand for grid-scale storage is surging as widespread electrification meets a wave of power-intensive data center construction driven by the AI build-out. But the conventional data center power stack wasn’t designed for this moment. Today, equipping a facility with backup power, grid-tie capability, switchgear, and uninterruptible power supply requires sourcing and integrating many distinct product categories from different vendors. Each of those comes with its own lead times, integration burden, and points of failure. MAC-BESS™ is built on a unified architecture that combines storage, power conversion, and switching into a single, software-defined platform designed to reduce the number of energy systems data center operators need to specify, integrate, and maintain.

Volt Harbor’s system is engineered for data center–grade reliability and performance, delivering sub-100-microsecond energy delivery, which is fast enough to ride through load and grid fluctuations that would otherwise cause failures or trigger backup generation. It offers single parts-per-million failure rates typical of spacecraft and commercial aviation, with no single point of failure, and the ability to be configured to specific site requirements quickly.

Lower Cost and Circular Economics for Grid, Commercial and Industrial 

For utility-scale, commercial, and industrial buyers, where cost is a primary consideration, MAC-BESS™ supports second-life EV battery modules at roughly one-half to one-third the cost of new battery systems delivering equivalent capability. Because the platform can integrate batteries from multiple EV OEMs and battery chemistries, it converts a fragmented, fast-growing supply of retired EV batteries into productive storage capacity. Volt Harbor’s software-defined battery management can also extend usable battery life by up to 30% relative to conventional approaches, further improving project economics.

EV batteries typically retain around 80% of their original capacity at the end of their automotive life. Today, as the first generation of EV battery packs are being retired from the road, most are routed straight to shredding, where critical minerals like lithium are recaptured, but the plastics, insulation, and other organics are incinerated. By extending their working life into stationary storage, MAC-BESS™ delivers lower-cost grid capacity, reduces the need for new battery manufacturing, and cuts the emissions associated with both.

Volt Harbor was previously named one of six recipients of the 2025 DTE Energy Emerging Technology Fund. Through the partnership with Michigan's largest utility — a Fortune 500 diversified energy company — Volt Harbor is deploying a MAC-BESS™ system on the DTE grid designed to buffer high-power EV charging events that exceed local capacity, while also providing demand response, peak shaving, and backup support.

“These projects show what’s possible when public and private partners work together to reimagine mobility for everyone,” said Yvette Johnson, Vice President of Electric Sales & Marketing at DTE Energy.

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About Volt Harbor, Inc.

Founded and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Volt Harbor builds modular, software-defined energy storage systems that integrate batteries, advanced power electronics, and on-board computing in a single platform. Its patented MAC-BESS™ technology supports both new and second-life battery modules across data center, commercial, industrial, and utility applications. For more information, visit voltharbor.com.

About MFV Partners

MFV Partners is an early-stage deep technology venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California. The firm invests across climate tech and energy, semiconductors, physical AI and robotics, and quantum computing, backing visionary founders building breakthrough technologies. For more information, visit mfvpartners.com.

Media Contact:
Kyle Austin
Volt Harbor
617-564-0446
kyle@beantownmv.com

DETROIT — Since its launch in 2023, the DTE Energy Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) has supported innovators across Michigan who are breaking down barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption and driving real results — from expanding charging in city neighborhoods to advancing grid resilience and battery storage solutions in local communities

DETROIT — Since its launch in 2023, the DTE Energy Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) has supported innovators across Michigan who are breaking down barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption and driving real results — from expanding charging in city neighborhoods to advancing grid resilience and battery storage solutions in local communities. DTE is helping power Michigan’s transportation electrification plans through the ETF by investing in new technologies and projects that help Michiganders make the switch to an EV. 

"Michigan has always been a place where innovation drives progress and DTE is proud to back these organizations,” said Yvette Johnson, vice president of Electric Marketing, DTE Energy. “From the first curbside chargers in Detroit to commercial-scale battery energy storage made from second-life EV batteries, these projects show what’s possible when public and private partners work together to reimagine mobility for everyone."

The 2025 ETF recipients include:

• Volt Harbor: launching a pilot program to develop an affordable, commercial-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) made from retired, second-life EV batteries to store power during peak times.
• ev.energy: installing chargers at multifamily properties and launching an income eligible pilot to increase access to charging options.
• Voltpost: installing level 2 chargers in lampposts, transforming them into an EV charging station, delivering affordable and convenient charging without the cost or disruption of traditional infrastructure. 
• It’s Electric: installing managed and connected EV chargers for multiple vehicles with less site electric load impact.
• Forth Mobility: supporting the AMP EV carsharing program that connects local neighborhoods with affordable carsharing services.
• Grosse Ile Airport: installing Ion Dynamics’ FlashBot, a mobile fast-charging unit that is capable of charging multiple vehicle types and is part of the airport’s broader effort to enhance infrastructure and promote sustainable energy solutions.

“DTE Energy’s support of startup businesses has been vital to driving innovation in Michigan!  We are thrilled to be working with DTE”  – Al Avestruz, co-founder of Volt Harbor, Inc.