Christian Rood (LeydenJar): 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Christian Rood is a Dutch entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of LeydenJar Technologies, a pioneering company specializing in breakthrough battery technology. LeydenJar is renowned for developing the world’s most energy-dense battery anodes made from 100% pure silicon, a revolutionary advancement that promises to transform lithium-ion battery performance. Rood’s leadership and vision have propelled LeydenJar from a spin-out of a Dutch research organization into an influential deep tech scale-up that is setting new standards in battery energy density, charging speed, and sustainability. This article explores 10 key facts about Christian Rood and LeydenJar, revealing the innovative spirit behind this company and the future it envisions for energy storage.

1. The Genesis of LeydenJar and Christian Rood’s Role

Christian Rood co-founded LeydenJar Technologies in April 2016 alongside Gabriel de Scheemaker, building on a unique silicon anode production process initially discovered at ECN (now part of TNO), a research institute in the Netherlands. With a background in high-tech venturing and investments, Rood recognized the potential of the PECVD (plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition) silicon anode technology for the battery industry. This foundation allowed LeydenJar to grow rapidly as a company focused on enabling batteries with significantly higher energy density through innovative material science.

2. Revolutionizing Lithium-ion Batteries with Pure Silicon Anodes

LeydenJar’s core innovation is the commercialization of pure silicon anode rolls, branded as Silyte™, which boost lithium-ion battery energy density by around 70% compared to traditional graphite anodes. Silicon can host more lithium ions, providing vastly superior energy storage capacity. However, silicon’s tendency to swell during charging — up to 300% expansion — presents engineering challenges. LeydenJar overcame this through a proprietary columnar and porous silicon structure that remains mechanically stable, preventing cracking and ensuring longevity. This breakthrough positions LeydenJar as a leader in next-generation battery materials.

3. Christian Rood’s Diverse Background and Expertise

Before venturing into battery technology, Christian Rood had an extensive career in finance and consulting. He holds a MSc in Business Administration from Rotterdam School of Management and a BSc in Industrial Management. Rood worked as a strategy consultant at Coopers & Lybrand and as an investment banker at ABN AMRO specializing in healthcare and medical technology sectors. His financial and strategic expertise has been instrumental in raising venture capital and guiding LeydenJar’s commercial growth.

4. Making Batteries Smaller, Faster, and More Environmentally Friendly

LeydenJar’s silicon anodes enable batteries that are smaller and lighter without sacrificing capacity, allowing for faster charging times—such as charging a phone battery to 80% in just over six minutes. Furthermore, the silicon used is more abundant and sustainable than graphite, resulting in an 85% reduction in carbon footprint during production. These attributes align with global efforts to facilitate cleaner, more efficient energy storage solutions critical for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and future applications like electric aircraft.

5. Expanding Product Applications: From Smartphones to Electric Aviation

LeydenJar’s technology is versatile, being applicable in many sectors. Initially, the company’s focus has been on consumer electronics, facilitating longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries in smartphones and wearables. However, Silicon anodes have potential in electric vehicles, offering smaller yet more powerful battery packs that could redesign cars and other transport. Beyond this, LeydenJar foresees applications in drone technology owing to better energy-to-weight ratios and even in electric flight, a frontier of clean transportation innovation.

6. Securing Significant Investment and Collaborations

Under Rood's leadership, LeydenJar has successfully raised over €70 million in venture capital and additional funding, including a notable €13 million equity round in 2025 supporting the scaling-up of silicon anode production. Strategic investors include climate-focused funds such as Extantia and Invest-NL. Moreover, LeydenJar has secured pre-orders amounting to €10 million from prominent customers. These financial achievements underscore market confidence in LeydenJar’s disruptive battery solutions and its readiness to transition from lab innovation to mass production.

7. Building PlantOne: Towards Mass Production Capacity

A major milestone for LeydenJar is the construction of PlantOne, a state-of-the-art anode foil production facility located in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Scheduled to open in 2027, PlantOne will have a capacity of 70 MWh, enough to produce silicon anodes for around 5 million smartphone batteries annually. The facility will house bespoke PECVD machinery specialized for silicon anode manufacturing. This development signals LeydenJar’s commitment to scaling production reliably and cost-effectively, targeting global markets and enabling supply chain expansion within Europe.

8. The Startup’s Vision for a Sustainable Energy Future

Christian Rood and LeydenJar envision a future where electric vehicles, smartphones, and various electronics benefit from revolutionary battery performance improvements—higher energy density, faster charging, and lower environmental impact. This vision extends to enabling electrification in challenging sectors, such as aviation, where energy-dense batteries are essential. With a team exceeding 90 experts and a culture that embraces pioneering, data-driven approaches and optimism, LeydenJar aims to contribute decisively to tackling climate change through technological innovation in energy storage.

9. Overcoming Challenges and Industry Recognition

The transformation of silicon anode technology from a laboratory curiosity to commercial reality has not been straightforward. Challenges like silicon’s mechanical instability during charging cycles required sophisticated material engineering. LeydenJar’s success in addressing these has earned them recognition such as the 2024 Automotive Innovation Award for sustainability. Their technology is also gaining considerable attention from established battery manufacturers and electric vehicle producers, positioning the company as a key player in the evolving battery landscape.

10. Christian Rood's Leadership Philosophy and Future Perspectives

Rood attributes LeydenJar’s progress to a balanced team combining technical expertise with strong business acumen, emphasizing the importance of understanding capital markets alongside deep tech innovation. His leadership style is marked by openness to new ideas, resilience against setbacks, and a focus on measurable results. Looking forward, LeydenJar plans to expand production capacity beyond Europe, collaborate closely with cell manufacturers, and remain on the cutting edge of battery advancements—fueling new products and industrial electrification worldwide.

Conclusion

Christian Rood stands at the forefront of battery innovation, driving LeydenJar’s mission to reshape how energy is stored and used globally. From spotting a promising silicon technology at a Dutch research institute to founding a venture creating world-leading silicon anodes, Rood’s journey exemplifies the power of combining scientific insight with entrepreneurial foresight. LeydenJar’s advancements promise smaller, lighter, faster-charging, and more sustainable batteries that could accelerate the global transition to cleaner energy. As mass production approaches with PlantOne, the question remains: how will these new batteries redefine the future of mobility, electronics, and beyond?