Mike Schmitlein has been appointed CFO of bi-polar lead battery developer SiliconJoule effective November 1.
Schmitlein brings more than 25 years of leadership in the energy storage industry including at EnerSys, where he held several senior posts including working as CFO for 12 years up to his retirement in 2022.
SiliconJoule said Schmitlein had joined during a period of rapid technical and market expansion. The company is scaling supply chains for its treated silicon wafers, industrialising assembly processes, and planning three new products to complement its core deep-cycling 24V GC2+ battery platform
As CFO, Schmitlein will help guide the company’s upcoming private funding round, hopefully to be anchored by strategic investors
SiliconJoule CEO Ray Kubis said: “Having worked with Mike in the past, I know firsthand the depth of skill and operational expertise he brings to the table.
“As we scale our advanced battery technology, his financial discipline and deep industry insight will allow him to hit the ground running.”
Schmitlein said many companies had tried to commercialise bi-pole battery technology. “This technology offers a genuine competitive alternative to lithium ion and other emerging chemistries across multiple applications.”
Silicon Joule emerged in March 2026 from the rebranded company Gridtential formed over a decade before that.
The new company name derived from the proprietary battery tech that uses treated silicon wafers as a structural and electrochemical component within advanced bipolar battery designs, including the new GC2+. However, the firm’s legal entity remains Gridtential Energy.
