At just 23 years old, Courtney Gras is the president of Design Flux Technologies LLC, a pre-seed alternative energy company developed at the University of Akron and poised to enter the energy management market with the first all-in-one battery management system.
With the support of her alma mater, fellow University of Akron students and several angel investors, Gras has been able to take off with her new technology. The company has already made substantial early growth with a $100,000 grant through Ohio Third Frontier Technology Validation and Startup Fund, a $10,000 prize from the Clean Energy Challenge and several partnerships and contracts with companies looking to put this energy-efficient system into action.
Gras, along with fellow engineering students and advisers at the University of Akron, co-founded and developed Design Flux last year based on a need identified through on-campus research. Design Flux commercializes the first all-in-one battery management system that means to impact battery life and extend it up to four times its normal length. This wireless technology would allow companies to use their battery management system in order to check battery performance through a remote web portal.
Design Flux addresses important gaps in the green-energy market and its innovative community partnerships have been fundamental to its early success. Such partnerships include an electric car manufacturer, battery manufacturers that utilize solar cells and wind turbines, and a company commercializing an advanced electric vehicle charging station. The Design Flux technology means to accelerate the success of these manufacturers, specifically the car-charging station, which anticipates the ability to quickly recharge an electric car while maintaining battery performance.
The company plans to enter the market by 2014 and will continue building prototypes and partnerships until then. Gras continues to reach out to mentors and entrepreneurs within Northeast Ohio, and her passion and excitement for business allows her to meet the challenges as a young entrepreneur.
How to reach: Design Flux Technologies LLC, (216) 543-6066 or www.designfluxtech.com
