Boulder Ionics is a rapidly growing start-up that produces ionic liquids and ionic liquid based electrolytes for demanding electrochemical applications. Using a proprietary high-throughput synthesis platform, Boulder Ionics is able to manufacture ultra-high-purity ionic liquids at a superior price/performance ratio. Boulder Ionics’ advanced Iolyte™ electrolytes and pure ionic liquids have applications in a wide range of products ranging from ultracapacitors to lithium-ion batteries and next generation metal-air batteries. The company is currently working with several strategic partners and industry leaders and expects full integration of Iolyte™ electrolytes into a growing number of commercial products by mid-2012.
TEAM
Dr. Martin, co-founder and CEO, is a serial entrepreneur with more than twenty years of experience in startups and small businesses. He received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from MIT, and has been awarded four patents in the fields of heat transfer and energy systems, with additional patents pending. Dr. Martin was co-founder of Mesoscopic Devices, a developer of portable fuel cells, which he led from its founding in 1998 through its acquisition by a public firm in 2007. Mesoscopic Devices was profitable in its first year, and sustained nine years of internally-funded growth before its acquisition by Protonex in 2007 at 4X revenues. He served as Vice President for the acquirer and managed the development of Protonex’ line of commercial solid oxide fuel cell generators. Dr. Martin left Protonex to form Boulder Ionics.
Jerry.Martin@boulderionics.com
Ms. Martin is Vice President of Engineering and Operations, and received her B.S. and M.S. from MIT. Ms. Martin leads engineering and operations, is widely recognized for her expertise in high performance heat exchangers and chemical reactors, and was a member of the microreactor systems group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Ms. Martin has twenty years of experience in startups and small businesses, and co-founded, ran and sold an energy technology company. She has particular expertise in microchannel reactor design, startup company operations, and government contracting.
Dr. Poshusta leads BI’s ionic liquid technology development. Dr. Poshusta holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Washington State University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado. He has more than 10 years of experience in the design, modeling and commercialization of advanced chemical reactors and chemical purification systems, and holds two patents in the chemical engineering field with additional patents pending. Dr. Poshusta is a recognized leader in the field of fuel processing for fuel cells and is widely regarded for his expertise in very compact chemical reactors.
Dr. Rajendra Singh joined Boulder Ionics’ team as its Senior Chemist in September 2011. Raj is an international leader in fluorine chemistry, specializing in ionic liquids, battery electrolytes, and organic, organometallic, and energetic materials. Dr. Singh has worked as a research scientist at the University of Idaho, IM&T Research, Sumitomo Chemical Company, and Purvanchal University. He has played a key role in the development of new nucleophilic fluorinating reagent (Fluolead) and its application to make organofluorine compounds and developed synthesis methods for fluorine containing ionic liquids. An author of more than ten patents and more than forty-five scientific papers, Dr. Singh’s deep understanding of fluorine chemistry and ionic liquid electrolytes has allowed Boulder Ionics to develop new IP and further its R&D efforts. Dr. Singh received a Masters in Science in chemistry and a Ph.D. in organic/organometallic chemistry from Banaras Hindu University.
Tim Gardner joined the Boulder Ionics’ team as Vice President, Business Development in June 2011, after several months as a consultant to Boulder Ionics. After assisting with our Series A investment, Mr. Gardner took on the added responsibility of CFO. Mr. Gardner has 25 years of business development and operating experience with technology, manufacturing, and clean tech companies. During his career, Mr. Gardner has successfully launched new products and services including, systems management software, engineered carbon fiber components for aerospace applications and customized bank card integration solutions for financial institutions. He has also built distribution networks for building products and sporting goods manufacturers. Among other accomplishments, Tim negotiated a $9.0M custom application agreement with GE Card Services along with a $7.5M capital investment from parent company GE Capital.
Tim.Gardner@boulderionics.com