Ascend Elements Stock: Climbing Toward an IPO?

Explore ways to own Ascend Elements stock before the IPO. Get access to select pre-IPO startups like Databricks, Canva, and Anthropic via the Fundrise Innovation Fund. 

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Notable Ascend Elements News

12/10/2024: Ascend Elements to Produce Lithium Carbonate in GA
02/20/2024: Ascend Elements Raises Additional $162 Million
01/30/2024: Ascend Elements Targets 90% Reduction Carbon Footprint
09/06/2023: Ascend Elements Raises $542 Million Series D
Older news…

About Ascend Elements

Ascend Elements is a materials and recycling startup based in Westborough, MA. The company sources “black mass” from lithium-ion batteries previously used in electronics and electric vehicles (EV) and recycles the materials for new EV batteries.

Ascend Element’s materials are equal to or better than raw materials mined from the earth because they “upcycle” the materials to extract impurities through a patented process called Hydro-to-Cathode. 

The Hydro-to-Cathode process is more efficient than traditional lithium-ion purification and recycling after the lithium extraction process. 

Significant venture capital rounds and $480 million of grants from the Department of Energy completed in 2022 and 2023 have enabled the construction of a $1 billion, 140-acre recycling facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

When complete, the facility will have the capacity to produce enough materials for up to 750,000 electric vehicle batteries. 

Ascend Element’s larger goal is to enable a “closed-loop battery economy” that doesn’t rely on mining to meet the materials demand for new batteries. This mission is parallel to Redwood Materials as both companies are developing the future supply chains of EVs by reducing reliance on global supply chains and mineral exploration. 

Formerly known as Battery Resourcers, the company rebranded in January 2022. 

Ascend Element’s ability to attract government grants and substantial venture capital funds is a testament to its patented processes and propensity to achieve KPIs and milestones. 

Here’s an introductory video laying out the company’s vision. 

Ownership

Ascend Elements is a venture-backed private company. Its investors include founders, employees, sovereign wealth funds, and a deep bench of venture capital firms. 

The company has raised more than $850 million in equity and nearly $500 million in grants since its founding in 2015. The last equity round was a Series D1 that raised $622 million in February 2024. 

Venture capital investors include Fifth Wall Climate, SK Group, Oman Investment Authority, Lithium Americas Corporation, GLy Capital, Hitachi Ventures, InMotion Ventures, TDK Ventures, Orbia Ventures, At One Ventures, TRUMPF Venture, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, Temasek, Tenaska, Alliance Resource Partners, BHP Ventures, Mirae Asset, Agave Partners, Alumni Ventures, Just Climate, Clearvision Ventures, and IRONGREY.

Funding Rounds

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Valuation

The Ascend Elements valuation is $1.6 billion based on the Series D1 funding round in February 2024. 

IPO Potential

The Ascend Elements IPO date is unknown and unlikely to occur in the next few years. 

The company will need to complete the construction of its Hopkinsville, Kentucky, recycling facility and ramp up materials processing.

Though the facility will be capable of producing enough materials to manufacture up to 750,000 EVs, it is unclear how much recyclable inputs will be available to process. EV production is still ramping up, while end-of-life EV cars are not yet abundant. 

Ideally, the Ascend Elements IPO will occur when the facility is complete and near full capacity, suggesting the company is approaching profitability. Profitability could be a decade or more away.

However, startups often choose to IPO when the broader market is accepting of unprofitable growth companies with significant potential. 

How to Invest in Ascend Elements Stock

Since Ascend Elements is not a public company, it is challenging to become an equity owner today.

The chances of ownership have improved since the latest round of venture-backed funding. However, the market valuation is only around $1.5 billion, which is close to the amount of money raised. 

Therefore, we expect early investors and employees to be patient with their shares. 

Interested retail investors can monitor pre-IPO marketplaces for share availability. But most will need to wait until after the IPO. 

Investors can take the actions outlined below to increase the chances of eventual ownership. 

1. Monitor Pre-IPO investing platforms for share availability

I have not seen evidence of Ascend Elements stock being available on pre-IPO platforms.

However, investors can monitor pre-IPO investing platforms for future availability. 

If shares become available, expect to pay at least a $10,000 investment minimum. It’s free to sign up for access and alerts. Notable platforms include EquityZen, Hiive, Equitybee, Forge Global, and Linqto. 

Only accredited investors can invest if Ascend Elements becomes available on any of these platforms.

The SEC requires direct pre-IPO investors to be accredited, meaning a net worth above $1 million (not including primary residence) or an income above $200,000 (or $300,000 with a spouse).

Non-accredited investors can sidestep the accreditation requirement to own pre-IPO startups by investing in a venture capital fund such as the Fundrise Innovation Fund.

But Ascend Elements is not a holding in the Fund at this time. 

Check out our list of top pre-IPO investing platforms for current share availability. 

Please note: This is a testimonial in partnership with Fundrise. We earn a commission from partner links on AccessIPOs.com. All opinions are my own.

2. Participate in the Ascend Elements IPO

Retail IPO investors may find opportunities to invest during an eventual IPO. However, that could be several years away.

Having accounts with the below brokers increases your chances of participating in IPOs. Once reserved for Wall Street’s wealthiest customers, IPO access has become more attainable to retail investors in the past five years. 

The following online brokers give customers access to multiple IPOs per year, including customers with low account balances.

• TradeStation 
• Robinhood
  

TradeStation has a more established track record of accessing more than 400 IPOs and secondary offerings via its partnership with Click Markets. 

Robinhood, on the other hand, have the advantage of Silicon Valley networks and a history of getting allocations for high-profile IPOs.

Check out this list of best brokers for IPO investing to learn more about IPO access for retail investors.

3. Buy Ascend Elements after the IPO

Waiting for the IPO requires patience. It may be several years off.

Investors can explore the ideas above and watch future funding rounds to see if larger companies place investments, allowing retail investors exposure via indirect investment. For example, if a public mining company purchased a stake in Ascend Elements, retail investors could buy the public company for investment exposure. 

There are advantages to waiting for stocks to become publicly traded before owning them. 

An IPO is a sign of maturity. If the company arrives at an IPO one day, investors will know it’s been a successful venture, ultimately delivering on promises and suggesting it can thrive as a public company. 

Pre-IPO companies typically have limited financials available for retail investors. An IPO filing gives us good insight into the company’s operations. 

Furthermore, IPO stock prices typically rise with high-demand companies. Retail investors can find themselves chasing an overvalued company. 

Instead, be patient and wait for a pullback. Stock price declines after IPOs can be excellent entry points if you were not allocated IPO shares. 

Avoid buying overvalued shares immediately after the IPO. Shares often fall after the IPO due to lockup expirations and quarterly earnings disappointments. 

However, the most disruptive companies will be higher in a decade. Patience pays. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Ascend Elements Publicly Traded?

No. Ascend Elements is a private company. You cannot buy or sell Ascend Elements stock on a public stock exchange. 

What is the Ascend Elements Stock Symbol? 

Ascend Elements is still a private company, so there is no Ascend Elements stock symbol yet. 

Here are a few Ascend Elements ticker suggestions that are available in the U.S.: 

• ASCD
• ASDE

“ASND” is already occupied by Ascendis Pharma A/S.

What is the Ascend Elements Stock Price?

There is no publicly traded Ascend Elements stock price yet. The company is private. 

Private stock price information is becoming more available and reliable based on pre-IPO marketplace data and other sources. 

However, the stock price is only the value of one share. Like public companies, the underlying valuation metrics, revenue, profitability, and market sentiment toward private companies are more significant factors than the share price.

Where is the Ascend Elements IPO S-1 Filing?

Ascend Elements has not yet submitted an S-1 filing to the SEC. When it does, I’ll link to it and embed it on this page. 

The company may or may not announce a confidential filing before the public release. And it may never go public at all. 

If Ascend Elements intends to IPO, there is still a long road ahead. At this stage, it is likely not mature enough to focus on filing for an IPO, and it’s unclear if investors would support an unprofitable and unproven business model in an IPO. 

Monitor the most recent S-1 filings in our S-1 filings feed. 

Ascend Elements News Archive

08/01/2022: Ascend Elements to Invest up to $1 billion in SW Kentucky
10/26/2022: Ascend Elements Secures $300 Million in Funding
01/19/2022: Battery Resourcers Changes Company Name to Ascend Elements
04/12/2021: Battery Resourcers Raises $20 Million Series B

Conclusion

Investors get excited when they identify companies riding extraordinary macroeconomic trends such as EVs and battery recycling and battery materials. Ascend Elements is looking forward to the next 20 years of the EV revolution. 

Battery recycling startups like Ascend Elements will help to relieve the global mining bottlenecks. That will be an increasingly important role to play as car manufacturers transition from combustible engines to electric ones.

But if car battery makers want to replace the current global fleet of combustion-engine vehicles over the next few decades, they’ll need new raw materials from geographically diverse sources. 

Ascend Elements aims to fill that demand, presenting a massive opportunity for its investors and playing an important role in climate risk mitigation. 

Ramping up will be a challenge. As its facility becomes operational, the investors may question the recyclable input supply to achieve desired quotas for EVs. EV demand is expected to rise, but it is not guaranteed. 

Retail investors pursuing early equity and IPO shares should maintain reasonable expectations. Investing in a company at an early stage and an extended business lifecycle will be challenging.

Monitor pre-IPO investing platforms after subsequent private fundraising and watch for indirect investment opportunities via corporate venture capital. 

If Ascend Elements stock is on your radar, good luck. Invest in pre-IPO and IPO companies with caution.