Reimagining the Future of Batteries
Pioneering the energy revolution
Founded in 2018 to commercialize a revolutionary battery anode material called eCell, offers Lithium-ion battery manufacturers a 300-500% gain in anode capacity compared to the current industry standard material, graphite. Dedicated to disrupting the $500B market (est. 2030) for Li-ion batteries.
A World Class Team
Executive Team
Jerry Schwartz JD LLM*
CEO & Founder
Fortune 500 executive with extensive experience commercializing university and private sector research into viable products/technologies and driving global licensing opportunities to positive business outcomes across industries as diverse as IT/internet/eCommerce, healthcare, telecom, and publishing. Well regarded around the world as a culturally aware and technically savvy strategic leader, Jerry has held multiple senior leadership “C”-level roles (CEO, COO, CMO and CLO) with multi-national corporations, in ventures ranging from start-up to Fortune 50. As Director of Microsoft’s Office of International Affairs, nominally Microsoft’s “State Department”, Jerry was responsible for executive engagement with senior governmental, corporate and NGO leaders guiding MS Asia-Pacific & India subsidiaries generating over $20B annual revenues. Jerry has served as CEO of Global Development Partners, an international development group focused on creating commercial channels for a variety of technologies targeted at achieving sustainable economies for at-risk communities through infrastructure development. Jerry has also served as a Senior Consultant with international strategic consulting firm CAP Gemini Sogeti. During 10 years serving as Chief Revenue Officer Jerry has concluded over 50 product launches incorporating distribution through 50+ channel partners and 200+ OEM licensing partners and led over 100 strategic partnerships (aggregate value $1B+).
Jerry holds BA/BS/MBA and JD degrees from the University of Puget Sound and an LLM in International Law and Tax from Salzburg University. Jerry has served as an U.S. Air Force JAG officer, university trustee, Entrepreneur-In-Residence at a major research university, industry advisory board member/chair and board member for multiple companies.
George Cintra
CTO
George leads our overall research and development efforts and commercialization of our innovative porous silicon-carbon composite anode materials platform. He has more than 30 years of leadership in battery and power systems design, new product development and commercialization, technology strategy and manufacturing of secondary batteries.
Previously George served 7 years as Chief Technology Officer for EaglePicher Technologies, a leading U.S. producer of high-performance batteries and energetic devices. During his tenure he managed all new product development and customer qualification for programs in mission-critical space, defense, and aviation battery applications, as well as programs related to consumer, medical devices and mobility.
During his tenure he led a multifunctional research and development organization of 200 engineers, scientists, and chemists throughout EaglePicher’s nine North American sites. George was also the executive vice president and chief technology officer at Integer Holdings, Inc. (formerly Greatbatch), an innovator and manufacturer of a broad range of medical and industrial portable products. In this position, he led worldwide research, product development, and engineering, as well as program management, and regulatory and clinical affairs.
In his career, George also held a variety of leadership positions in technology and product commercialization over a 17-year career at Procter & Gamble, Gillette and Duracell. George is an inventor or co-inventor of thirty-nine patents across a broad range of battery and power source materials and electromechanical product innovations.
Jason Schwartz*
VP Strategy & Founder
Jason is a 3rd-generation entrepreneur, winner of national business plan competitions and experienced project leader. During his studies at Washington State University he was recruited to lead a commercialization team for a body of innovative battery research with the potential to disrupt the $22B market for advanced anode technology incorporated into Li-Ion batteries used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics and energy storage systems. Jason led the effort to secure grant funding to launch a new company (Ecellix Inc.) and was successful in securing exclusive licensing rights for the intellectual property. Acting on the advice of his network of mentors and advisors, Jason spearheaded recruitment of an experienced executive to replace him in the CEO leadership role, as well as recruiting an exceptional management team including a CFO, CTO, General Counsel and VP of Products, as well as board members for the company’s board of directors and highly experienced professionals for the technology and business boards of advisors.
Jason has been mentored by several exceptional leaders, including U.S. Congressman Adam Smith, where he served as an intern, by Jerry Schwartz (his father), who was WSU’s first-ever Entrepreneur-in-Residence and a Microsoft executive, and by the former CFO of publicly-listed Coinstar and RealNetworks.
Brian Screnar
VP Business Operations & Government Engagement
Brian serves as VP of Business Operations and Government Engagement at Ecellix. Previously, Brian served as Chief of Staff to Dr. Nathan Myhrvold, Founder & CEO of Intellectual Ventures, a pioneering private equity and invention firm based in Bellevue. WA. Prior to Intellectual Ventures, Brian worked for over a decade in the national political arena, having directed U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell’s federal operations in Washington state and served as a political appointee on Secretary Ken Salazar’s senior leadership team at The U.S. Department Of The Interior during the First Obama Administration. Additionally, Brian served as Finance Director on the 2009 Obama-Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee and as Deputy Finance director on President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, where he managed daily finance operations for the campaign’s historical fundraising program.
Brian is an active member of the Seattle community. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Burke Museum Association, the Board of Trustee of the YMCA of Greater Seattle, and serves as the Vice Chair of the Washington State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Board & Advisors
Bart Riley PhD
Board Member
Dr. Riley is a successful hard tech entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience leading projects, teams and businesses taking tech from lab to market. With senior management experience at AMSC, A123 Systems, and Quantumscape, Bart has a track record solving complex technical and business problems to launch products in multiple verticals, including industrial equipment, consumer electronics, automotive, and grid.
More recently Bart has provided strategic, guidance via board or other senior-level adviserships to companies and non-profit organizations across additional verticals including energy storage, packaging, aerospace, and chemicals. Dr. Riley has a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Cornell University, 85 publications, and 62 US Patents
Brian Turner
Board Member
Brian has served as a director of MicroVision since July 2006 and currently serves as Chairman of the Board. He brings extensive experience growing, financing and operating public and private companies in addition to his many years of experience in public accounting. Mr. Turner was the Chief Financial Officer of Coinstar Inc. from 2003 until June 2009. Prior to Coinstar, from 2001 to 2003, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Real Networks, Inc., a digital media and technology company. Prior to Real Networks, from 1999 to 2001, Mr. Turner was employed by BSquare Corp., a software company, where he initially served as Senior Vice President of Operations, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, before being promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer. From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Turner was Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Administration of Radisys Corp., an embedded software company. Mr. Turner’s experience also includes 13 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where he held several positions including Director, Corporate Finance. Mr. Turner is lead director at Symmetra Mutual Fund.
Brian Holloway PhD
Advisor
Brian is an executive with proven strengths in analytical problem solving, communications, and leadership combined with an engineering background in industrial, academic, and government sectors. Over 20 years of experience in leadership, management, budgeting, scientific research, technology development and transition. Technical expertise includes energy generation and distribution, energy storage, alternative energy, composites, manufacturing, nanomaterials, thin film deposition, materials for medical applications, and materials characterization with emphasis on surface analysis. United States citizen with TS/SCI Clearance.
Mark Verbrugge PhD
Advisor
Mark Verbrugge started his professional career in 1986 with the General Motors Research Labs after receiving his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the College of Chemistry at the University of California (Berkeley). In 1996, Mark was awarded a Sloan Fellowship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received an MBA. Mark returned from MIT in 1997 to join GM’s Advanced Technology Vehicles (ATV) as Chief Engineer for Energy Management Systems. In 2002, Mark rejoined the GM Research Labs as Director of the Materials and Processes Lab, which maintained global research programs ranging from chemistry, physics, and materials science to the development of structural subsystems and energy storage devices. The Lab was later expanded in scope and became the Chemical and Materials Systems Laboratory.
Mark has published in topic areas associated with electroanalytical methods, polymer electrolytes, advanced batteries and supercapacitors, fuel cells, high-temperature air-to-fuel-ratio sensors, surface coatings, compound semiconductors, and various manufacturing processes related to automotive applications of structural materials; he has about 200 patents, patents pending, and trade secrets associated with these topic areas.
Mark was a Board Member of the United States Automotive Materials Partnership LLC (2002-2023) and the United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (1997-2023), and is an adjunct professor for the Department of Physics, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. After retiring from GM in 2023, Mark became an Affiliate of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and an advisor to several battery companies.
Jennifer Houston
Advisor
Inventive global marketing, communications and business executive. Passionate about propelling organizations to the forefront of their industry. Proven ability to both create new categories and reimagine established businesses.
Disruptive global business thinker. Driver of win/win business value – for the customer and the organization. Strategic execution engine in business and organizational ambiguity. Leader of leaders. Motivator. Inventor of new products, services, approaches, systems. Builder of agile and sustainable businesses.
Extensive leadership, strategy, marketing and communications skills including, but not limited to: strategic brand and narrative development, revenue generation, digital demand gen, thought leadership and perception shifting campaigns to generate broad awareness and business outcomes, audience centric digital/social/content marketing, organizational development, marketing and communications strategy, measurement and ROI.
Lonnie Rosenwald JD
Advisor
Lonnie Rosenwald is a respected leader, senior technology executive and experienced legal counsel recognized for her vision, innovative thinking and successful development and implementation of strategies for path-breaking ventures. She is a trusted advisor whose judgment and insights are valued by her clients.
Lonnie has deep and broad experience in innovations that are reshaping the technology industry, law and investments. She has developed and led high-performing teams that deliver results in both Fortune 50 and start-up environments.
Additional Board Members
*Jerry Schwartz JD LLM
*Jason Schwartz
*Saif Qazi (Board Observer)
Innovation is our mantra