LithFire-X is an example of a start-up that didn't flourish, but needed to evolve before flourishing.
The Ferndale-based company got its start creating fire-suppression technology for electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries. The founding partners took the prototypes of its technology to automotive dealerships and automakers and got nowhere. The 1-year-old company then landed a contract from the EPA to develop a fire-suppression system so it could test lithium-ion batteries.
"That gave us enough to continue," says Gerald Ford, parter at
LithFire-X.
Today LithFire-X, which is also a client of
TechTown and
Automation Alley, is creating fire suppression projects for energy storage devices. The two-person firm has patents pending for its technology. Energy storage devices are becoming increasingly popular because they allow firms to store energy created during off-peak hours, such as the middle of the night, to be used during peak energy-use times during the work day.
LithFire-X now has a number of local clients and is gearing up to hit seven figures' worth of revenue within the next year.
"We believe we are at a break-out stage," Ford says.
Source: Gerald Ford, parter at LithFire-X
Writer: Jon Zemke
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