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
Missouri wants to match investors’ funds for promising young startups; founders have until Monday to apply
A pair of competitive startup funding programs backed by the State of Missouri are poised to boost companies with Show Me potential, said Jack Scatizzi as the deadline rapidly nears for this year’s IDEA Funds. “We invest both state and federal funding into the most promising high growth-potential startups,” said Scatizzi, executive director of the…
Retro-inspired activewear brought this stay-at-home mom out of isolation; why it’s go-go time for Molly Heise’s budding business
Molly Heise’s earliest memories go back to playing marbles on her great-grandma’s avocado-colored shag carpet, captivated by the various floral patterns that surrounded her, she recalled. Today, those memories inspire her personal style and activewear line, GoGoBloom. “I’ve loved the retro style for as long as I can remember,” she shared. “But in the past…
They fought to end Lee’s Summit’s neon ban; now they’re relighting a grinning, spinning Katz face in KC
How a Lee’s Summit duo is reviving eye-catching signs of KC’s past The iconic face of Katz Drug Store — the famed retail operation that grew from the streets of Kansas City to eventually become CVS — is set to return to its hometown thanks, in part, to a pair of unlikely neon sign restorationists. …
PlaBook to compete for $1M in prizes at world’s largest pitch competition for edtech startups
Fresh off its selection to Pipeline’s latest fellowship, a Kansas City edtech startup is now set to compete at The Elite 200 as a semifinalist in The GSV Cup — representing top pre-seed and seed stage startups in digital learning across the “Pre-K to Gray” space. KC-based PlaBook is set to vie for $1 million…