Flexible batteries might energy new classes, and Anthro Power thinks its cracked the code • TechCrunch

Battery know-how has made vital strides in recent times, however there’s one place they haven’t modified a lot — they’re nonetheless as stiff as a board.

The period of rigid moveable energy could also be coming to an finish, although, if Anthro Power can convey its flexible batteries to market. It’s getting some assist with that courtesy of an oversubscribed $7.2 million seed spherical, which the corporate is asserting at this time, TechCrunch completely realized.

The spherical was led by Union Sq. Ventures and Power Revolution Ventures with participation from Voyager Ventures, Emerson Collective, Nor’easter Ventures, Ultratech Capital Companions and the Stanford President’s Enterprise Fund.

Anthro was based by chemists David Mackanic and Joe Papp, who noticed a gap for a versatile polymer that would not solely give batteries new properties but in addition provide a faster option to market than the continuously cited automotive route.

“Batteries are confronted with this sort of actually extreme innovator’s dilemma, the place to get into one thing like an auto, it takes a ton of validation, a ton of know-how improvement and a ton of time,” Mackanic mentioned. “And so I noticed if I wish to make a distinction within the battery house, I’ve received to assume otherwise in regards to the issues I’m fixing, I’ve received to assume otherwise about how we’re bringing this to market.”