Volt Resources
A two-year business development programme.
Six workstreams delivered.
Investor story and business development
Volt Resources’ Managing Director had built a strong position and a Board-agreed plan. Volt engaged Michael to deliver it – and Volt’s Zavalievsky Graphite (ZG) was selected for the battery-materials investment pipeline of the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA), alongside EU funding, a lender through to due diligence, a plant plan and a new country.
Facing a similar challenge? See how we start ↓Perth, Australia
six workstreams
Project recap · Volt Resources · 71 s
The engagement in a minute
EU funding, the ERMA selection and a lender into due diligence – in the order they happened.
The Objective
Turn a strong position and a Board-agreed plan into results – as a defined programme.
By late 2021 Volt’s Managing Director had made good progress: Zavalievsky Graphite acquired, a strategy agreed with the Board and a clear sequence of catalysts ahead.
The Managing Director and Michael agreed to run business development as a defined programme: priorities set with the Managing Director and the Board, then delivered hands-on by Michael – leaving leadership free to run the company.
What Michael Put in Place
Six workstreams, each agreed with the Managing Director and the Board and delivered – with the value of each.
- 01Corporate presentation
- 02EU Horizon Europe funding
- 03European strategic asset
- 04Lender engagement
- 05Plant upgrade assessment
- 06New asset, new country
Corporate Presentation
New look and feel · Investor deck
Volt wanted its presentation to reflect how far the company had come. Michael upgraded the look and feel from the front cover to the last page: high-quality imagery matched to one design language, so images, layout and type work as one unit, and the storyline, slide architecture and charts rebuilt around the VOLT wordmark and the green the market already knew.
The value: an investor story that stands out in look, feel and quality – carried into the website and every investor touchpoint.
Visit voltresources.comEU Horizon Europe Funding
GR4FITE3 · Horizon Europe consortium
Michael identified the Horizon Europe opportunity, positioned ZG within the GR4FITE3 consortium, nine organisations from six countries building a European supply chain from flake graphite to certified battery cells, and carried the application through to award.
The value: non-dilutive funding for ZG’s anode work, without issuing a single share.
View on CORDIS
European Strategic Asset
Selected for the ERMA investment pipeline · EIT RawMaterials
Michael secured ZG’s place in the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) investment pipeline, managed by EIT RawMaterials: around 50 investment cases chosen to secure Europe’s supply of battery materials, with ZG one of only a few graphite projects among them. For investors, offtakers and public financiers, that EU recognition (ERMA / EIT RawMaterials) answers a question before it is asked.
The value: Volt’s ZG selected for the ERMA investment pipeline – credibility in Europe’s own terms, and the springboard to lenders.
Lender Engagement
From EU recognition to institutional finance
With ZG’s selection for the ERMA pipeline as the opening, Michael presented Volt’s proposition directly to the investment teams of international lenders and development finance institutions. One major institution cleared every internal approval to proceed to due diligence; he managed that process for Volt, data room included.
The lesson: a good data room is not a document store. Structured the way a lender reviews a project, it answers questions before they are asked and shows a company run with discipline – experience that now goes into every MPC engagement heading for finance.
The value: a bank-tested path to institutional finance, a data room built to the standard lenders expect – and the Managing Director and the Board free to run the business.
Plant Upgrade Assessment
Zavalievsky graphite plant · Technical review
Michael approached specialist engineering providers, obtained quotes and gave the Managing Director a one-page shortlist of scope, deliverables and budget. He organised the site visits, led the final negotiation and ran the programme, judging each investment on value for money and process performance.
The value: a two-stage plan the Board could commit capital to in the right order: lower costs first, expansion as funding is secured.
New Asset, New Country
Jadar North · Ljig · Serbia
Lithium exploration licence applications in western Serbia: Jadar North, bordering Europe’s largest lithium discovery at Jadar, and Ljig, south of Belgrade near Valjevo. Michael supported the Managing Director through the process, then set up the country operation from scratch: Country Manager recruited, plan and budget in place, accounting, reporting and audit framework established, relationships built with government and industry.
The value: a diversification executed, with team, budget and governance in place.
The Result for Volt Resources
Two years on: a European strategic asset – and the function handed back.
Volt’s ZG selected as one of around 50 investment cases in Europe’s ERMA pipeline, non-dilutive EU Horizon grant funding secured, one international lender through its internal approvals and into due diligence with the data room managed by Michael, a costed plan for the plant and a second country to grow into – delivered as a defined programme and handed back complete.
Result: €596,625 non-dilutive EU funding · selected for the ERMA investment pipeline · one lender through internal approvals into due diligence.
Michael took ownership from day one and required very little direction. He successfully secured EU funding, achieved EIT recognition and managed the process through to lender due diligence. He consistently delivered on his commitments, anticipated issues before they arose and kept the project moving forward.
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Positioning Review
AUD 4,500 + GST · Fixed fee · Five working days
A working session on your goals and audiences, then a review of your presentation, website and one further document through the eyes of investors and partners. You receive an audience map, a materials review, your five priority changes, core story and key messages, and a costed action plan, presented in a 60-minute findings meeting.
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