Collision 2015 - Meredith Perry of UBeam & Mark Suster of UpFront Ventures
summary
Ceiling transmitters and tiny phone receivers claim to charge devices wirelessly by sending ultrasound to electricity, vibrating a phone case and converting that motion to power; a student prototype proved power transfer over ~1 cm, then scaled hardware and team, filed 22 patents filed (2 awarded, 6 near‑term), and raised just under $1M from high‑profile angels. VCs warn hard‑science takes long R&D, grant bridges help, and fundraising succeeds on a concrete narrative, demonstrable prototypes, clear commercialization plans and relentless, polite persistence.
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Introduction to ubeam
- 1:02The tech behind the idea
- 2:57Building and prototyping
- 4:45Raising initial capital
- 6:11Funding and persistence
- 8:45Overcoming skepticism
- 10:38Challenges of hard tech
- 12:33Government and grant funding
- 15:17Corporate interest
- 17:26Investor and founder dynamics
