Team Anthro Energy
Stanford University
Changing the Future of Battery Technology
The Team
David Mackanic
• Founder of Anthro Energy
• Former Partner at Dorm Room Fund
• PhD. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry from Virginia Tech
Michael Kao
• Head of Product at Anthro Energy
• Battery Engineering Intern at Natron Energy
• B.S. in Material Science and Engineering Candidate at Stanford University
Problem Sponsor
Joint Staff Office
Original Problem Statement
Isolated personnel (IP) such as downed fighter pilots need an integrated power source on their person to ensure access to power for necessary electronics and to increase rescue probability.
Beneficiary Discovery Interviews
143
The Innovation
Gone are the days of bulky batteries weighing down Soldiers on missions. H4D alum and H4X Labs participants in team Anthro Energy have created “human-compatible” batteries that are flexible and foldable.
The Anthro Energy team was formed in the Spring 2020 term of Stanford’s Hacking for Defense course. The original H4D team included PhD student and Battery Engineer David Mackanic & Michael Kao (B.S Battery Engineer), along with dual MS-MBA students Jonathan Hess and Adreína Mesalles who came together to support challenges faced by the Joint Staff Office.
The team was originally tasked with addressing power shortages for ejected fighter pilots. However, after conducting over 143 beneficiary discovery interviews, the team realized that battery life was not a priority for this group; most beneficiaries stated that their priority in this situation was surviving, not battery life.
Through further beneficiary discovery interviews, the team identified a new group they could serve: the “Guardian Angels”, who carry out life-saving rescue missions for Soldiers. These operations typically involve jumping out of a plane while carrying sufficient batteries to power the variety of devices required for a successful mission. The team realized that a battery integrated into their backpack or body armor would dramatically improve the efficiency of rescue operations. Many beneficiaries told the team: “You are doing something that is going to save lives.”
During their time in Hacking for Defense, the team was able to verify the need for this product and prove the technology in the lab. However, as the term came to a close, the technology and a fully functional prototype wasn’t ready. They realized that in order to reach a deployment ready state, they would need to pursue a dual-use venture and utilize commercial funding in addition to government resources to create a functioning prototype.
In H4X Labs, the team focused on bridging the work they had conducted in the lab and the technology to make their product a reality. H4X Labs allowed the team to specifically focus on building commercial buy-in. David Mackanic graduated from Stanford University in May 2020, and is committed to working full time on pursuing Anthro Energy. Michael Kao is currently on a leave of absence, also working on Anthro Energy full time. For David and Michael, working on Anthro Energy full time was always the goal.
Presentation
Team Anthro Energy’s
H4X Labs Experience
Making Goals a Reality
David says they “knew the start-up playbook in the abstract, but through H4X Labs we had the opportunity to build relationships to get the buy-in we needed to make it a reality.” The team cites the most rewarding and valuable part of H4X Labs were the mentors that supported them in building a dual-use customer base and taking the tactical steps toward building a successful start-up.
Anthro Energy founder David Mackanic was honored as a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient. Forbes describes the innovation as: “Anthro has developed a flexible, non-flammable lithium ion battery that can be stretched and flexed like rubber thanks to an innovation in ‘polymeric solid-state ion conductor’ technology. There's endless applications for flexible batteries.” You can view Forbes’s feature here.
David offers advice to future H4X Labs teams: “Put in the time to be very clear about what you want help with each week.” He encourages teams to utilize the H4X Labs and BMNT network, as it plays a critical role building buy-in and a potential customer base.
After H4X Labs, the team continues to work toward identifying product-market fit and move toward production in the new year. To learn more about Anthro Energy, you can visit their website and engage with them on LinkedIn.