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The ACE-List: Liion Power

two young entrepreneurs from Liion Power sitting on a desk and smiling

Get to know ACE startup founders & find out what drives them!

The ACE-List: We are proud and excited to introduce our awesome startup founders. The ACE-List is a regular installment where startup teams from the ACE Incubation Program introduce themselves and share a little insight into their startup journey!

Details

Company: Liion Power
Industry: Hardware / Energy
Founded in: 2020

Meet the founders!

Jardo Stammeshaus is a double MSc student in Physics (Cum Laude) and Science, Business & Innovation. In 2018 he became the National Student Boxing Champion. Currently he is the CEO of his green technology startup; Liion Power.

Tobias Slieker is a Science, Business & Innovation student, and experienced salesman. His focus on technology and sustainability have led him to the role of COO of his green technology startup; Liion Power.

In short:

The secret is not to do what you love, but to love what you do.. Read that again! Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.

How did you come up with your startup idea?

The battery from my electric scooter is advised to be charged for a maximum of 12 hours. This caused problems for me: sometimes I arrived home at (for example) 15:00 after college and then I could not plug it in because I would not need it for another 18 hours or so. However, when I waited to plug it in at night before bedtime I sometimes forgot, which resulted in me waking up in the morning with an empty battery. I tried to solve this problem with different versions of time switch devices, which was far from optimal. I started searching for a better product that could improve the ease of use, and at the same time improve battery longevity and safety. I could not find anything that worked properly. I started thinking about a possible solution, and realized this problem was similar for my smartphone and for E-Bikes. This led to the first step in the development of our universal night charger and life extender for lithium-ion batteries.

What is your company’s unique proposition?

We can improve the performance and longevity of lithium-ion batteries, for example in your smartphone, by charging them in a technically optimized way throughout the night. There is no other product that does this, and that serves as an extension of your original charger while not requiring an (illegal) software application.

What has been your ACE moment?

When Liion Power was selected by both the Demonstrator Lab (receiving a €20.000,- R&D budget) and ACE (2 year guidance and connections in the startup field) to develop our product and company.

How has your academic background benefited you in running a company?

My MSc in sustainable Physics and my MSc in Science, Business & Innovation have given me the foundation for everything related to science, and sustainable entrepreneurship in a sustainable technology company. They were essential for enabling this startup.

How did the pandemic (positively or negatively) affect you in the past year?

The lockdown has negatively impacted us through the unavailability of the Demonstrator Lab and office space. Additionally, we would have liked to meet everyone in the ACE cohort in person. It was also more complicated to work with interns in our startup, and it caused several delays in our product development.

On the other side the pandemic has brought me closer to the most important people in my life, and forced me to become more effective and productive while working alone.

What is the best advice you could give someone who wants to start their own business?

Don’t wait for the right moment. Start now. Don’t wait till you finish college, or think you need ‘experience in the field’ first. The only way to learn how to play tennis, is by playing tennis. Also; you do not need money to invest. You need to invest time, passion, blood, sweat and tears. Money will come to you when you are ready.

What are your next steps for the new year?

Developing the MVP of our smartphone external battery life extender, and start selling it. Finding an investor (and/or subsidy) to manufacture and commercialize our product. Hiring an electrical engineer that fits in our team (our first employee). Obtaining my Black Belt in Kung-Fu. Graduating double Cum Laude.

How can someone who is interested in you or your startup contact you?

You can contact the Liion Power team at management@liionpower.nl, or you can contact me personally at jardostammeshaus@gmail.com.

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