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MAY 20, 2019
CAPACITECH WINS $15,000 AT THE CADE MUSEUM 2019 INVENTIVITY BASH FOR ITS WIRE-SHAPED ENERGY STORAGE INNOVATION
The morning before the Inventivity Bash, hosted by the CADE Museum, Capacitech’s Joe Sleppy (CEO) and Dr. Isaiah Oladeji (CTO) joined the beautifully wooded Heartwood Soundstage in Gainesville, FL to be interviewed by Richard Miles for the RadioCADE podcast. The team is in town with the hopes of winning a cash award for its innovation in wire-shaped energy storage devices.
Not long ago nobody knew what Capacitech was, what a Cable-Based Capacitor was, or its huge potential in our society. Today we recorded an interview addressing those unknowns in a wildly beautiful recording studio with Richard Miles, are being considered for a generous cash prize, have a manufacturing line coming together, and will be ready to launch in the residential solar power market in a not too distant future. Sitting in this interview hearing Isaiah describing Capacitech and our innovation was a surreal moment. Everything’s coming together. I could not be more proud of our work or more excited for the future.
-Joe Sleppy
Capacitech will receive the $15,000 runner up award behind Anchor Biologics at the event later that night while interacting with the many attendees who took the opportunity to learn more about our technology. Seems that people listen closely when you talk about the future. Thanks to Florida’s innovation ecosystem Capacitech has another $26,000 of funding to apply towards building that future.
MAY 14, 2019
CAPACITECH ENERGY WINS $10,000 AT THE FLORIDA VENTURE FORUM!
It has been a really fun year so far for Capacitech Energy! Started it off by being named a top 30 energy storage startup, then we were selected as a top 4 finalist for the CADE Museum Prize, we won the collegiate prize at eMerge Americas, and last week we were awarded a $10,000 check by Space Florida for the seed stage competition at the Florida Venture Forum.
The Florida Venture Forum gave us the opportunity to share Capacitech’s growth and to focus on interested investors. This award supports the commercialization of our wire-shaped energy storage technology, and clearly demonstrates Central Florida’s innovation ecosystem!
-Joe Sleppy | CEO of Capacitech Energy
Capacitech presented their vision for improving residential solar power systems using their wire-shaped energy storage technology by building them into the DC power cords connecting everything together. The pitch was well received by investors in the crowd.
One of the coolest aspects of the night was the impressive showing by Orlando companies! Capacitech and SegAna are both members of the University of Central Florida incubation program and both took home awards in the seed stage and early stage competitions.
This form of non-dilutive capital can go a long way in helping companies reach the next stage. Maybe it is in the form of extending runway, a major investment, or to establish credibility to investors or customers. Regardless, this event hosted by Florida Venture Forum and Space Florida is an important piece of the central Florida innovation ecosystem!
APRIL 16, 2019
CAPACITECH ENERGY ATTRACTS FUNDING TO GROW ORLANDO'S MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Recently, Capacitech has:
Been accepted to present at the FL Venture Forum (more info coming soon)
Selected to the CADE Prize top 4 finalist
Attracted funding to build our Orlando-based manufacturing facility!
We are very excited about our new partnership with Varnadore Financial. They are bringing a new level of financial experience and resources to Capacitech’s advisory team.
Their investment is a big deal for us and could not have come at a better time. We will use this funding to build out our manufacturing line in Orlando. This step up in scalability will enable us to launch several pilot programs in the renewable energy space, which has been a dream of mine since the beginning.
-Joe Sleppy | CEO
Capacitech will be partnering with RTP Systems and KCP Products to build, implement, and house the manufacturing equipment.
JANUARY 16, 2019
CAPACITECH ENERGY IS NAMED A TOP 30 STARTUP IN THE WORLD
Capacitech Energy’s business model and innovation is starting to get noticed overseas, particularly from a European organization called InnoEnergy. InnoEnergy is the innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe. One of their biggest roles is to support and invest in innovation; they provide education, networks, and expansive opportunities for startup companies to adapt, grow, and thrive.
InnoEnergy recently named Capacitech Energy one of the top 30 finalists for their Global Start-up Call contest. This provides a huge opportunity for Capacitech to not only expand their market reach, but to also receive broader opportunities.
Capacitech is bringing a new type of energy storage component to the market; one that looks like a wire and performs like a supercapacitor. It can be used as a replacement to traditional capacitors in a circuit to provide distributed and discrete energy storage to a variety of loads, and can complement batteries for longer run times and a longer operating life. The CBC is superior in design because it comparatively takes up less space, can be easily customizable in performance (capacitance and voltage), and can be embedded into wires such as a DC power cord!
In March, CEO Joe Sleppy will be traveling to Amsterdam. He will be representing Capacitech Energy and will be pitching the company to potential customers and investors, including Schneider Electric.
DECEMBER 18, 2018
MEET THE TEAM
One of the core structures of making Capacitech Energy a stand-out organization lies within the efficiency of its team. Behind every idea and creation is a team that is inspired, skilled, and motivated to deliver the highest quality products and service possible to the world. At Capacitech Energy, each team member was selectively chosen due to their strengths, ambition, and the positive impact they could bring to the company and its customer base.
CAPACITECH LEADERSHIP TEAM:
Joe Sleppy | CEO
Dr. Isaiah Oladeji | CTO
Joe Buffa | Commercialization Director
Dr. Jayan Thomas | Research Director
CAPACITECH EXECUTION TEAM:
Sabbithry Persad | Business Development
Karina Abbott | Graphic Design
Tim Russo | Communication
Joseph Torgler | Market Anaylsis
Vergin Mansour | Engineering
Lucy Golebiewski | Engineering
November 17, 2018
Capacitech Gives Back
Capacitech Energy’s CEO, Joe Sleppy, spent time with the 4th grade students of Moss Park Elementary school on Friday, November 16th to teach the students about energy, renewables, and the importance of energy storage!
“I often ask myself if I am making the world a better place. Hopefully my actions bring others a little bit of joy, peace, and, in this case, education.
— Joe Sleppy
Sleppy started off teaching the students about the different types of energy and that it can not be created or destroyed. To do this, he asked the students to hum while rubbing their hands together for as long as they could. This lead to out of breath students with warm hands demonstrating the transfer of energy.
Later, he asked the students “what happens when they are tickled?” The students responded by saying that they “laugh” or “run away.” Sleppy used this as a metaphor to explain that light “tickles” the electrons inside the solar panel converting the light into electricity!
May 19, 2018
Capacitech Energy takes First in the Florida Venture Forum Competition!
On Friday May 18th, Capacitech Energy headed to Tampa, FL to present the business and recent successes while taking first in the state wide collegiate competition hosted by the Florida Venture Forum!
Joe Sleppy presents Capacitech Energy, LLC to Florida angel investors at the Florida Venture Forum in Tampa!
CEO, Joe Sleppy, focused on Capacitech's recent successes in producing working samples of the cable-based-capacitor technology and receiving stronger commitment from various partners in commercialization activities.
"Presenting Capacitech is one of the most fun things I get to do. It is the opportunity to express my passion and always knowing there are future presentations to give holds me accountable for our progress!" ~CEO, Joe Sleppy
After the presentation, Sleppy was kept occupied by the audience members asking additional questions and expressing their curiosity around the technology. Capacitech's first place win did include a $1,500 cash award, but Sleppy explains the participation was for the exposure to the high quality people in the audience. Just another example of how you never know who is listening...
May 11, 2018
Getting Closer to the Real Thing!
Thanks to being awarded the Phase 1 STTR Grant by the National Science Foundation in January 2018, Capacitech began actively working with Sisom Thin Films and University of Central Florida Nanotechnology Science Center progress has been expedient and consistent!
The sample shown above is a 5cm long device with about 1F of capacitance total rated at 1.6V. The positive electrode of the capacitor is the core wire with the negative electrode being the piece of wire toward the top of the image pointing out to the side.
The work has brought Capacitech to the final stages of product development. At the beginning of the project the focus was on converting lab scale processes to mass manufacturing friendly processes. This has been achieved. The next steps are to further optimize conditions so marketing specifications can be met with consistency. Specifically, the next steps are to increase the voltage rating so the product can be used outside of low voltage super capacitors and electrolytic capacitors thus further opening up the market!
“We have worked tirelessly to prove this cable-capacitor technology can be mass manufactured at a price affordable to the industry. Now we need to tune the system further to ensure consistent results. The technology works and we have a few more tricks up our sleeve to make it even better. It is only a matter of time until we are ready to run rapid manufacturing runs after final optimization steps are taken!
— Joe Sleppy, CEO
As a demonstration, Capacitech retrofitted a laptop power supply replacing the large capacitor in the circuit with a Capacitech cable based capacitor. See the photo sequence below:
Modified Power Supply
Notice the additional space made available on the printed circuit board (PCB) by using a cable-capacitor! This entire product could be reduced in length by several inches!
April 12, 2018
Capacitech's Featured at UCF's Joust
TWO YEARS AGO CAPACITECH ENERGY WAS OFF TO THE RACES FRESH OFF A BUSINESS COMPETITION WIN CALLED "THE JOUST" AND NOTHING HAS BEEN THE SAME AGAIN!
CEO, Joe Sleppy, updates the crowd about Capacitech's recent progress including the recent National Science Foundation STTR grant!
This year as Thor-Ore (1st Place) and Soar Aerospace (2nd place) competed for the winning prize of cash and services, Capacitech was invited as entertainment between presentations. CEO, Joe Sleppy, took to the stage to discuss recent progress and update made with Capacitech such as the STTR grant. He also spoke to the value that the Joust added to Capacitech.
“The Joust was the first public outlet that we described what we were thinking and the applications our technology had. We are blessed that the judges thought we were on to something special and have spent every day since proving they made the right decision!
— Joe Sleppy, CEO
Winning the Joust is not only about the recognition from the community and the money, but more importantly the services offered. These services include legal services from Burr Forman which Capacitech has leveraged in Intellectual Property negotiations with the University of Central Florida.
Click here for more about Capacitech's journey!
Click here for more about the UCF Joust!
February 7, 2018
Capacitech Energy Gives Back
CEO, Joe Sleppy, spent his day with a nationally diverse crowd of high school students, teachers, and administrators advocating and teaching entrepreneurship. The event, Ford’s National Next Generation Learning Conference, also included a focus on STEM projects including apps and consumer goods.
“Capacitech is doing well by doing good” Sleppy says. “I strongly believe in giving back and investing effort into educational programs that develop world-class students.”
Sleppy spoke to a small group of student ambassadors from Pinellas County who represent their high school’s academy (a program to develop professional skills in students) about entrepreneurship, engineering, and a good mind set to have while going into college. Later, Sleppy spoke to many of the students presenting their STEM project which was organized in a tradeshow like format. During lunch, Sleppy was invited to give the keynote address of the conference which focused on the impact of entrepreneurship.
According to Sleppy “entrepreneurship is how the world gets better as innovators focus on reducing the pains/problems experienced in the world.”
February 4, 2018
Capacitech Receives a National Science Foundation Phase 1 STTR Grant
Capacitech has been awarded a Phase 1 STTR Grant from the National Science Foundation worth $225k. This funding will be used to put the finishing touches on the cable-capacitor technology which will help electronics manufacturing companies reduce costs. This grant is awarded in partnership with the University of Central Florida's Nanotechnology Science Center. The partnership will be headed up by co-founder and inventor Dr. Jayan Thomas on the university side and by Dr. Isaiah Oladeji on the company side.
Together, UCF and Capcaitech will commercialize this technology with the help of this grant and plans to launch pilot programs with partners such as Ditek later this year.
http://today.ucf.edu/ucf-spinoff-company-awarded-nsf-grant-encourages-commercialization-discoveries/
https://incubator.ucf.edu/capacitech-energy-receives-coveted-national-science-foundation-grant/
January 12, 2018
Capacitech Receives a VentureWell E-Team Grant
Awards & Grants
Spring 2018 Capacitech Energy will participate in Phase 2 of the VentureWell E-Team program. This is a program that grants $20k to each team and provides them with insight, connections, training, and motivation. The program is to fund and train student inventors and entrepreneurs who want to address important problems in the world through new technology-based ventures. It provides funding, immersive workshops, and specialized coaching to student STEM innovators to help them move their inventions into the marketplace.
https://venturewell.org/winter-2018-e-team-program-grantees/
January 12, 2018
Capacitech Joins Orlando’s Firespring Fund
The FireSpring Fund Accelerator has accepted Capacitech Energy into the spring 2017 cohort. Acceptance to this accelerator includes a $25k convertible note investment with $200k of potential follow on funding, membership to Orlando’s co-working space Canvs, and a plethora of exposure to the community as well as the community’s top mentors. At the end of the program, Capacitech will present at the Firespring Demo Day.
January 12, 2018
Capacitech Energy Graduates the National I-Corps Program!
Awards & Grants
“Customer Discovery never stops” said by many people, many times. The customer discovery process continues for Capacitech as they participated and graduated from the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Program. The program was based in Detroit where Capacitech engaged with other companies and interviewed potential customers during the program’s kickoff. Following the kickoff, Capacitech returned home to Orlando to interview an additional 100 customers. “This is where our business model really started to come together” said CEO Joe Sleppy. Capacitech had gone through ~40 business models before attending I-Corps.
By the end of the National I-Corps program, Capacitech had identified their path forward. A path that is much more feasible, realistic, and attainable than past business models. This path is one focused on selling cable-capacitors to small and medium sized electronics manufacturing companies to mimic/replace traditional capacitors being used in electronics. By doing this, electronics manufacturing companies will see a drop in inventory costs (costs associated to ordering, inspecting, and managing capacitors). “This business model is a great first step for us” said Joe Sleppy “it allows us to prove the technology, generate value for a real customer, and generate revenue which will help fund our future endeavors such as electric vehicles.”
https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/
January 12, 2018
Capacitech Heads to New York City for Techstars Training Camp with Blackstone Launchpad
The University of Central Florida is sending Joe Sleppy, CEO of Capacitech Energy, to New York City to participate in a entrepreneurship training camp hosted by Blackstone and taught by the prestigious program, TechStarts. Out of the ~40 companies that will be showcased at this event, 7 will have the opportunity to present to an audience of business owners, investors, and entre-curious individuals. Turns out, Capacitech has been selected to be one of the presenting companies!
Joe Sleppy was joined with another UCF startup led by Dr. David Nash called IDem. Together they will explore New York, compete, learn about startups, and hopefully will meet David Nash (founder of TechStars) and also Steve Schwarzman (CEO of Blackstone)!
http://business.ucf.edu/2017/11/06/ucf-students-attend-techstars-training-camp-ny/
CEO Joe Sleppy presents Capacitech to the audience at the Blackstone & TechStars training camp event in New York City
January 12, 2018
Capacitech is a Finalist in the Rollins College Business Plan Competition
Awards & Grants
It is spring 2017 and thus is business competition season in Orlando. Capacitech was selected as a finalist to compete in the Rollins College Business Plan Competition with the business model developed from the I-Corps program. Capacitech’s founders Joe Sleppy and Dr. Jayan Thomas will present to a panel of judges with hopes to bring home the grand prize of $25k with an additional $25k investment from Ven-Vello.
After competing in the finals, Capacitech was awarded 4th place out of 66 companies which was good enough for a $2,500 award. See the pitch in the video below!
January 12, 2018
Capacitech Energy heads to Microsoft Headquarters for the International Business Model Competition
After winning the Business Model Competition at the University of Central Florida, Capacitech is headed to Washington state to represent UCF and compete in the International Business Model Competition (IBMC). “This is so exciting as it the first time I will be able to display Capacitech outside of the central Florida region” says CEO Joe Sleppy.
The IBMC is a competition focused on Lean Startup Methodology and the Business Model Canvas. Students and companies present to a panel of judges the process their business had gone through to vet their ideas. Capacitech represented UCF well but was not selected to move past quarter finals. S
http://www.businessmodelcompetition.com/news.html
January 12, 2018
Capacitech is Accepted to VentureScaleUp Sponsored by Catalyst Work Spaces
Capacitech Energy LLC has been accepted to one of Central Florida’s top accelerator programs, VentureScaleUp (VSU)! VSU is a scaleup accelerator that provides high-growth entrepreneurs access to role models that have built startups that have scaled. The program connects entrepreneurs to a network of experienced mentors, advisers, investors, and educators to advanced startups to the next level.
Capacitech’s participation in this program helped increase exposure to the community, prepare CEO Joe Sleppy to raise capital, and most importantly built strong relationships with their mentors such as Richard Fox. Perhaps the best take away from this program was the entrepreneurial training in how to communicate complex ideas to different audiences such as investors, customers, grant reviewers, and other stakeholders in one’s business.
http://www.venturescaleup.com/
January 11, 2018
Capacitech Places 2nd in DoE's MegaWatt Competition
Awards & Grants
The MegaWatt Competition, now called the CleanTech Competition, sponsored by the Department of Energy (DoE) is a competition focused on clean technology (hence the name). Capacitech was selected as a top ten finalist from many applicants to present in Orlando, FL. After CEO Joe Sleppy presented to the judges how Capacitech's cable-based-capacitor could help reduce the weight of batteries that soldiers carry in the field as well as how the technology could impact renewable energy systems like wind turbines and solar power.
http://www.cleantechup.org/capacitech-energy-llc/
January 11, 2018
Capacitech Graduates the UCF I-Corps Program
Awards & Grants
After ~50 customer discovery interviews and several different business models (business model canvas), Capacitech Energy LLC graduates the University of Central Florida (UCF) I-Corps Program sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) . This program is designed to teach and push startup teams to vet their entrepreneurial idea by talking to potential customers. Capacitech received $2,600 from NSF to fund travel for customer discovery activities.
This program dramatically helped Capacitech identify a path to revenue and helped Capacitech focus on more specific customers segments such as the Information Technology Uninterruptible Power Supply Market and Electronics Manufacturing companies.
https://icorps.cie.ucf.edu/sub/capacitech/
http://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=innovator
From the Left: Dr. Chao Li, Joe Sleppy, and Dr. Jayan Thomas graduate the UCF I-Corps program
January 11, 2018
Capacitech Wins UCF Joust!
Awards & Grants
Spring, 2016 Capacitech Energy wins the UCF Business Plan Competition known as the "UCF Joust" for $12k in cash and over $50k worth of professional services including Burr Forman legal services and accounting services from BDO!
Entrepreneur & CEO, Joe Sleppy, presented Capacitech's future of embedding cable-based-capacitors into electric vehicles, wind turbines, printed circuit boards, smart homes, among other applications.
https://today.ucf.edu/capacitech-energy-llc-wins-ucf-shark-tank-style-joust/
https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/campus-summer-2016/
CEO Joe Sleppy with Cameron Ford, Director of UCF's Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership