SAN DIEGO – South 8 Technologies, developers of a novel liquefied gas electrolyte (LiGas®) for the next generation of safe and high-performance lithium-ion batteries, is adding financial expert Amir Moftakhar to its advisory board. Moftakhar most recently served as the chief financial officer at ESS, Inc., a long duration energy storage provider that completed an initial public offering (IPO) in 2021. From energy storage to consumer goods and services, he brings more than two decades of expertise in financial and strategic services to South 8.
“Our advisory board members bring critical knowledge and experience to help accelerate the commercial rollout of our liquefied gas electrolytes,” said Cyrus Rustomji, CEO and co-founder of South 8 Technologies. “Amir brings tremendous financial and energy industry savvy to the team, and we are grateful for his counsel.”
“The work South 8 is doing is groundbreaking and poised to significantly improve and expand opportunities for electric vehicle, grid storage, aerospace, and defense applications,” said Moftakhar. “Their LiGas® product is also rapidly scalable due to its compatibility with current gigafactory manufacturing. I’m proud to join the team and be a part of advancing South 8’s battery technology innovation.”
Moftakhar is an accomplished public and private company chief financial officer with experience in energy, banking, technology, real estate, and consumer products specializing in strategy and finance. He has significant corporate experience in finance, business development, strategy, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with companies including ESS, Inc., Bank of America, Sempra Energy, San Diego Gas and Electric, and Cox Communications. Moftakhar earned an Executive Master of Leadership degree from the University of Southern California, his MBA from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School, and his undergraduate degree in managerial economics from University of California, Davis. He is also certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt, which is a globally recognized qualification for managing process improvements and project team initiatives.
Moftakhar joins fellow advisory board members Shirley Meng, chief scientist of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science at the Argonne National Laboratory; M. Hakan Köstepen, founder of h&k Ventures and former executive director of the Panasonic Automotive Systems Silicon Valley Center; Thomas Barrera, owner and president at LIB-X Consulting; and Mark Juergensen, managing director of CleanTech Energy, Inc.
About South 8 Technologies
South 8 Technologies, Inc. has developed a novel liquefied gas electrolyte product, LiGas®, to power the next generation of lithium-ion batteries and advance the world’s clean energy future. The venture-backed cleantech company’s Series A round of $12 million was led by Anzu Partners with participation from LG Ventures, Shell Ventures, Foothill Ventures, and Taiyo Nippon Sanso.
For more information about South 8 Technologies, visit www.south8technologies.com or follow South 8 on LinkedIn.
Amir Moftakhar,
South 8 Technologies Advisory Board
