Two freshmen at the University of Miami already arrived prepared with years of passion and hard work, even just days into their first semester.
Ella Leon and Diego Selem have spent the last couple of years working together on a shared dream: making electric vehicles safer, smarter and more sustainable through their startup, Diselca.
Leon, CEO of Diselca, is originally from Israel, where she picked up English, Spanish, Hebrew, Russian and French before studying business law at UM.
Selem, CTO and founder of their company, is pursuing mechanical engineering at UM and brings prior startup experience to the team through GumGauge, his first engineering project in high school.
“We’re essentially looking to reduce the flammability, increase the mileage and make batteries safer overall,” Leon said, when asked about Diselca’s mission. “We want to bring the benefits of solid-state technology right now, but without the price tag.”
To do this, Selem and Leon are focusing on improving the batteries already in use, specifically by experimenting with changes to the electrolyte – a liquid that carries charge inside lithium-ion cells.
Their idea first arose during an extended five-month summer break after their high school let them graduate early.
During that time, Selem faced a unique challenge. He was in the process of applying for residency in the United States but was unable to secure a job permit. Instead of letting the time slip away, he asked himself a bigger question.
“I didn’t really know how to be productive with my time,” Selem said. “So I thought, why not start an engineering startup? And that’s how it all began.”
That moment sparked the idea for Diselca, which he soon shared with his high school friend Ella Leon.
“He had an idea, and we sat down to figure out how it could develop over the next few years,” she said. “Now, we’re fully focused on turning it into a reality.”
From those early conversations, the startup began to take shape. The company’s name, Diselca, blends both Selem and Leon’s first names – Diego and Ella – as a reminder of its co-founder roots. While Diego focused on deep engineering and the area of battery technology, Ella contributed to shaping the vision and strategy.
“We’ve spoken to people in fire departments across the country, and we’ve come to the conclusion that there is a really big issue with vehicle flammability – it is leading to billion dollar recalls,” said Leon.
Selem echoed Leon’s point, noting that while solid-state batteries are often described as the future, the cost and difficulty of rebuilding factories worldwide makes them, in his view, “very far fetched” for manufacturing at scale anytime soon.
The batteries are not currently being produced, but Leon shared that they are discussing having some of their batteries manufactured and tested at UM.
“We’ve had a lot of positive support from professors, and it’s been amazing to even discuss having some of our batteries made and tested here at UM,” Leon said. “Knowing I don’t have to choose between academics and the startup is something I really value.”
Early stage backing has come from individual investors, with Leon describing interest across “multiple sectors,” including a family of Tesla owners who faced “very similar issues” to those Diselca aims to solve.
While the technical hurdles are steep, both founders stressed the importance of resilience, and how it has been pivotal in the startup journey. Diego commented on the numerous “roadblocks” they’ve hit already, but how their mindset is what makes the difference.
Leon put it simply: “As long as you have the mindset to persevere, you always will.”