Hannah Seeber knows how transformative batteries can be. At her previous startup, EcoFlow, she used them to replace generators, whether to power homes after a bad storm or to power recreational vehicles at campgrounds. That experience made her wonder what other batteries, especially smaller ones, could do.
She recalled thinking at the time, “What other industries could change so dramatically?”
After she left EcoFlow, while studying at Stanford University, it hit her. She has been looking into how California’s power shutoffs, intended to reduce wildfire risk, disproportionately affect people of different means.
She notes that utility companies spend more on generators and microgrids in wealthier communities, leaving smaller, poorer communities in the lurch. “I’ve seen the impact of what happens during a 56-hour power outage if you’re a small business and the power goes out to your refrigerator and suddenly you have to buy more inventory,” she told TechCrunch. “That was an ‘aha’ moment.”
Sabre began to look deeper into refrigeration, looking for places where battery cooling could make a difference. She soon focused on charging after reading about its climate impacts.
“Can we electrify the cold chain?” she asked herself. “And what would it look like to do battery-powered charging?”
latest cyber startup, Technical“, is her answer to that question. The company has quietly raised $14 million so far, according to PitchBook, and has a product on the market, Medstow Micro, which helps hospitals, clinical trials and medical labs ship temperature-sensitive samples.
The device is a white plastic cube, small enough to hold in one hand. Open the lid, and up to four vials can be stored inside. On the outside is a USB-C port to charge a lithium-ion battery that powers a solid-state heat pump, which provides cooling or heating depending on external conditions. The cube can keep samples at 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 56 hours. Thermometers, accelerometers, and GPS track the package, and a cellular connection lets customers monitor its precious cargo.
Artek rents the boxes to its customers, and because one of its boxes can replace both trackers and disposable ice packs or dry ice, Sabre said they tend to break even after about four shipments. The boxes are reusable, so their carbon footprint is better than competing methods after just two shipments, she added.
One of Saber’s goals with the Medstow Micro project is to expand patient access to clinical trials. Currently, most of these trials are run from large hospitals in major metropolitan areas. As a result, many people who might be eligible tend to be excluded, which hurts not only patients, who miss out on potentially life-changing treatments, but the field of medicine itself, because trials with more diverse patients tend to produce treatments that benefit more people. .
Artyc’s next product will have a five-litre capacity and will likely target expensive, heat-sensitive foods such as herbs, chocolate and wine. Then in 2025, the startup plans to ship a 25-liter volume. “For many of our customers, it’s really about what they can’t ship today that they wish they could ship,” Sieber said.
Other uses have emerged, she said. Hospitals and clinical labs said they are considering using Artyc boxes as additional dark-proof storage or as mobile refrigerators to simplify rounds. “Imagine a world where you have that on site, and a mobile phlebotomist picks it up, does rounds throughout the day, and brings it back,” she said.
Saber is looking beyond health care in developed countries like the United States as well. “We’ve had great conversations with some global health institutions,” she said. Currently, the team is trying to figure out how to ensure the temperature of the contents under unpredictable conditions.
“If you’re trying to get into a rural community and the road quality isn’t what you expect and there are delays, how do you build a barrier?” she said. Still, she’s optimistic. “We think it’s easier to get access than dry ice.”