Idle Smart earns $125K in national clean energy program
December 1, 2016 | Bobby Burch
Idle Smart recently was dubbed a top clean-energy firm and won some substantial investment capital for its technology.
Based in Kansas City, Kan., the company was voted by its peers as the top firm in the Energy: US 2016 program, nabbing $125,000 for its smart thermostat device for fleet vehicles, such as semi-trucks. The company’s device only kicks the truck on when necessary to maintain the temperature of the cabin, recharge batteries or create engine warmth, thus saving fuel and mitigating environmental impact.
To win the program, nine startups ranked each other in a peer-selection process and named Idle Smart as the top firm. The Autonomous Tractor Corporation won second prize and $100,000.
Village Capital, the New Belgium Family Foundation and Sustainable America awarded Idle Smart the funds. As part of the program, Idle Smart also received mentoring from industry experts and potential investors.
Founded by CEO Jeff Lynch in 2012, Idle Smart is based in the Kansas City Startup Village and owns a patent on its smart thermostat tech. In July, Startland News named the company as one of its top under-the-radar startups in Kansas City.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
To cultivate area ecosystem, Kauffman launches ‘KC Connector’ project
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is setting out on a mission to better connect people cultivating Kansas City’s entrepreneurial and education communities. The Kauffman Foundation is asking Kansas Citians to nominate the area’s unsung heroes” for its new Community Connector Project. Inspired by similar initiatives that have been implemented in Portland, Philadelphia and Louisville, the…
VIDEO: KCAI President Tony Jones on art and tech
The Kansas City Art Institute’s new David T. Beals Studio for Art and Technology is a state-of-the-art facility that’s serving the school’s more than 600 student-artists. Watch the video below to hear Tony Jones, president of KCAI, discuss the facility as well as the intersection of art and technology. To read more about the studio,…
Cutting-edge facility comes to life at the Kansas City Art Institute
Artists have a knack for bearing ideas outside the realm of convention. But what happens when a creator is not only equipped with the latest technology to augment a medium, but cross-pollinates with other artists concocting complimentary creations? Who knows. And that’s exactly what the Kansas City Art Institute is excited to learn with its…
The 2017 Battle of the Brands set to kick off
Along with dozens of participating companies around the metro area, KCSourceLink is gearing up for its 2017’s Battle of the Brands competition. Battle of the Brands is a bracket-style competition that pits Kansas City businesses against each other — only one will reign as the “Aristo of Entrepreneurship.” Its purpose? To shine a light on…