Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQs about Liberty Battery Tech
What is your company’s overall progress?
We have obtained our utility patent and have selected battery-powered hand tools as our initial target market, with a low barrier to entry. We have identified 6 additional horizontal markets, including the dual-, tri-, and quad-wheel vehicle market – electric motorcycles, scooters, ATVS, for example. We see this market as holding the greatest potential and highest risk for competition, as well as the highest barrier to entry.
How many users/customers do you have? Do you have revenue?
We are pre-revenue.
How do you know people need your product?
We have tested our MVP with a 40-second demo video and an interactive web page where viewers can walk through the swapping process themselves. Based on questions we asked them after viewing, viewers immediately grasped the value and a significant portion have said they would use this product if available. A large percentage have said they would like to see this product on the market.
How are you competing?
Over the next year of development, the company will have established a small but robust portfolio protecting the company’s intellectual property. This will grant leverage over emerging competitors and provide the company with a temporary monopoly over the protected material. At this stage, any licensing arrangements will provide cash-on-hand and create a greater shift toward physical product and mobile app development while setting the stage for future expansion.
Why would customers choose your product? What do you offer that others do not?
Our IP puts us in a strong position to license to multiple battery makers. We offer in effect the 5- minute recharge that research shows is necessary for consumer adoption.
What is the estimated size of your total addressable market? How much can you capture?
The global battery power tool market was $2.1 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $4.1 billion by the end of the decade. The US market is 40 percent of the total, or approximately $840 million currently and projected to reach $1.65 billion by 2030. Within this, the DIY market has the highest growth rate of 7.7 percent CAGR. The market for lithium-ion batteries in power tools was 1.3 billion in 2020.
Looking at the more lucrative small vehicle market, we estimate our SOM based on units sold per year rather than gross market value of the industry, and a gross revenue of $1,000 per battery system. Across the e-bike, golf car, go-cart, and personal mobility vehicle markets, research firms project 1.3 million new units on the market annually by 2024. With a SOM of 5 – 10% across these markets, we project annual gross revenue of $70 million in battery systems, with an additional $3 million in second batteries and home charging system. Swap-station are estimated to deliver modest sales in the early years.
Does your company have any intellectual property? Can any of this IP be claimed by an outside party?
All IP is owned by the company and no external claims exist. We have common law copyright and trademarks within our company. We may elect not to pursue patents around some of our core technology at the recommendation of our attorneys, rather to protect that IP as trade secrets. This strategy is akin to the way Coca-Cola protects its IP.
Please describe your domain expertise in this market.
Our founding team includes a serial entrepreneur who has successfully formed, launched and exited five previous companies. During her career, she has worked with many Fortune 500 technology companies as well as leading-edge tech start-ups from New York to Silicon Valley. Our designer has years of experience in industrial and product design for both on and off-road companies, including Indian Motorcycles, Polaris, and International. And, he is a motorcycle enthusiast and DIY-er. Behind the founders is a cadre of specialized advisors who are available ad-hoc, with legal, financial, funding, and start-up expertise.
How will you add or grow customers?
Our direct customers in this initial market are battery power tool users who need the convenience of multiple batteries without wait and without investing in an excessive number of battery packs. A single battery pack can cost as must as 30 to 40 percent of the cost of the tool.
Who are your direct and indirect competitors?
We differentiate ourselves with unique IP that addresses the twin problem of a high cost of additional battery packs sold by power tool makers and the inconvenience of insufficient battery power to complete the task, with long recharging time, and infrequent use that leads to discharged batteries.
We also plan for recharging stations to be placed at power tool retailers and rental shops.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
Our competitors are the power tool manufacturers who sell additional battery packs, and consumers’ habit of purchasing additional battery packs and accepting the inconveniences associated with the status quo.
What is your North Star?
Our goal is to drive adoption of swappable battery electric power across multiple industries in order to reduce consumption of fossil fuels, resulting in cleaner and quieter air.
How will you make money?
Recharging Sales
Battery recharging and short-term battery rentals
Subscriptions
We project that we will realize substantial recurring revenue from subscriptions – the majority of this will be battery subscriptions and add-on recharging, with a small incremental revenue stream from advertising subscriptions on the mobile app.
Swap Station Sales
Home battery recharging stations will be sold directly by us to end consumers. Some retail swap stations will be sold directly to rental power tool operators. Additional markets for Swap Stations include vendors who support or exhibit at certain temporary destinations such as trade shows, exhibitions, and outdoor events.
Data
We see data as a potentially significant revenue source. Companies may express interest in licensing anonymized information for geolocation marketing or store location planning, for instance. Battery performance and related anonymized data can be aggregated and sold as part of an IP agreement that includes the swappable system.
What is your exit strategy?
We need to consider what options may present themselves as future exit opportunities. The mission of Liberty Battery Tech is to accelerate the adoption of rechargeable, swappable battery power across a broad range of industries and applications. As such, our preferred strategy is to take the company to higher levels of growth by expanding into additional markets and use cases.
The system is designed in a way that our mission is most readily achieved at scale and we have structured our revenue models to align with the mission. Regardless of exit, we plan to funnel initial revenue into development, customer acquisition, and market expansion, thereby increasing our created value. Our goal in this initial growth phase is to take full advantage of first-mover marketing. On our current trajectory, we plan to achieve breakeven in year five with a national presence.
Acquisition:
In order to fund additional expansion and realize our full vision, it may be necessary to divest a portion of our initial market focus and use proceeds to repay investors, early employees, and to fund entry into new markets.
Following successful establishment of the swap station network, different types of organizations could express interest in acquiring the power sports portion of Liberty Battery Tech. Battery manufacturers such as CATL, Panasonic, and LG Chem that supply the EV market could look to acquire our method on an exclusive basis for integration with their battery hardware. Similarly, a power sports vehicle manufacturer such as Polaris, BRC, or Harley Davidson could express interest. Our technology would allow these companies to expand upon their current market share, help maintain or establish market dominance, and expand into currently untapped markets.
Under this scenario, we might retain some of the revenue streams related to the power sports market.
Our IP is broad enough to allow us to sell on an exclusive basis to manufacturers in any of the other six horizontal markets we have identified but are not discussed here. Finally, we can explore acquisition by an as yet unidentified company with significant interest in energy storage, either to establish a foothold in that industry or to expand its presence.