Battery startup Joule Case lands $500K after making key pivot due to the pandemic

Joule Case batteries. (Joule Case Photo)

Joule Case, an Idaho-based battery tech startup producing stackable energy storage units, landed more than $500,000 in funding.

The infusion of capital has helped the 5-year-old company shift from a sales plan that, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, was going to target events and music festivals. in the form of convertible notes.

Now the startup is focused on residential and backup-power customers. That includes food trucks, campers and RV owners, and people looking for home energy backup for solar power and in the case of electrical outages.

“In the day-to-day of trying to keep your business afloat or selling stuff, you have to be flexible and determined to make it happen,” said CEO James Wagoner.

The startup had grown to 12 employees, but had to lay off staff working specifically on the festival-related products. The company, which now has five full-time employees, is hiring for product development and sales aligned with the pivot.

In October, Joule Case was crowned Early-Stage Innovation of the Year from the Idaho Innovation Awards. Pictured are founders James Wagoner (second from left) and Alex Livingston (third from left). (Joule Case Photo)

Using lithium ion and lead acid batteries, Joule Case has created a stackable system that can be added or subtracted to depending on the amount and duration of energy needed. The batteries can replace polluting, noisy gas generators.

Joule Case products are available from the company as well as Camping World and Northern Tool, and the startup recently closed a deal to provide the batteries to a network of more than 500 electrical wholesale distributors.

The latest funding is in the form of convertible notes, debt that can be turned into equity in the future. Investors in the round include Keiretsu Forum and Park City Angels. Joule Case previously raised nearly $1 million from angel investors. The startup says it plans to pursue a Series A funding round in the near future.

As the push toward cleaner energy continues, Joule Case is part of a larger trend to establish the Pacific Northwest a major player in the growing battery tech sector.

There are numerous startups in the space, including Woodinville, Wash.-based Group14, which is using nanotechnology in battery science, and ESS, an Oregon-based manufacturer tackling grid energy storage. Lavle, a Seattle-area company developing batteries for marine and other uses plans, reported that it’s increasing its workforce by more than 50% through the end of the year. Seattle’s Zin Boats is making waves in its pitch to become the “Tesla of the sea.”

The region is also home to institutional battery expertise at the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and government agencies are purchasing batteries for transportation projects including Washington state’s plans to build the world’s largest hybrid-powered, auto-carrying ferries.

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Microsoft to sunset Cortana on iOS and Android in pivot to ‘productivity-focused’ assistant

(Microsoft Image)

Microsoft will shut down Cortana on a wide range of devices, reflecting the challenge for third-party voice assistants attempting to compete with built-in programs like Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant.

The company announced Friday it will discontinue all third-party Cortana skills on Sept. 7, and in early 2021 the company will stop supporting the Cortana app for iOS and Android devices.

Cortana will no longer be integrated with the Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker starting in January 2021 as well. Microsoft says it will work with Harman Kardon to create a transition plan for customers, including offering a $50 gift card for each active speaker, with some caveats. In addition, Microsoft will no longer offer Cortana as a built-in voice assistant on the original Surface Headphones.

The decision reflects Microsoft’s focus on business and enterprise technology over consumer offerings. Microsoft will focus on repurposing aspects of Cortana for its suite of productivity products rather than attempting to compete on consumer devices with leaders in the virtual assistant space, like Apple, Google, and Amazon. Cortana has fallen behind those competitors as Microsoft doubles down on enterprise technology.

“As we make this shift toward a transformational AI-powered assistant experience in Microsoft 365, we need to adjust our focus areas of innovation and development to give our customers assistance where they need it most,” Microsoft said in its announcement. “As a result, we are making changes to some U.S. consumer-centric features and functionalities with lower usage.”

Microsoft has largely withdrawn from the smartphone operating system market, leaving Cortana without a native mobile platform to compete with Siri and Google Assistant. The company also doesn’t have the advantage that Amazon enjoys with its Echo smart speakers, which work in conjunction with the Alexa app on smartphones

The company is encouraging users to manage email, calendars, and other tools using “new productivity-focused experiences” such as Cortana on Windows 10 and the virtual assistant’s integrations into Microsoft Teams and Outlook.

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Microsoft to sunset Cortana on iOS and Android in pivot to ‘productivity-focused’ assistant

(Microsoft Image)

Microsoft will shut down Cortana on a wide range of devices, reflecting the challenge for third-party voice assistants attempting to compete with built-in programs like Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant.

The company announced Friday it will discontinue all third-party Cortana skills on Sept. 7, and in early 2021 the company will stop supporting the Cortana app for iOS and Android devices.

Cortana will no longer be integrated with the Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker starting in January 2021 as well. Microsoft says it will work with Harman Kardon to create a transition plan for customers, including offering a $50 gift card for each active speaker, with some caveats. In addition, Microsoft will no longer offer Cortana as a built-in voice assistant on the original Surface Headphones.

The decision reflects Microsoft’s focus on business and enterprise technology over consumer offerings. Microsoft will focus on repurposing aspects of Cortana for its suite of productivity products rather than attempting to compete on consumer devices with leaders in the virtual assistant space, like Apple, Google, and Amazon. Cortana has fallen behind those competitors as Microsoft doubles down on enterprise technology.

“As we make this shift toward a transformational AI-powered assistant experience in Microsoft 365, we need to adjust our focus areas of innovation and development to give our customers assistance where they need it most,” Microsoft said in its announcement. “As a result, we are making changes to some U.S. consumer-centric features and functionalities with lower usage.”

Microsoft has largely withdrawn from the smartphone operating system market, leaving Cortana without a native mobile platform to compete with Siri and Google Assistant. The company also doesn’t have the advantage that Amazon enjoys with its Echo smart speakers, which work in conjunction with the Alexa app on smartphones

The company is encouraging users to manage email, calendars, and other tools using “new productivity-focused experiences” such as Cortana on Windows 10 and the virtual assistant’s integrations into Microsoft Teams and Outlook.

View the original article here

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