Hannah Seeber knows all too well how transformative batteries can be. In her previous work at startup EcoFlow, she used batteries instead of generators to power homes and RVs at campsites after severe storms. This experience got her thinking about what else batteries could do, especially small batteries.
“What other industries could potentially change dramatically?” she recalled thinking at the time.
After leaving Ecoflow, while studying at Stanford University, she found herself studying how power outages implemented in California to reduce the risk of wildfires were disproportionately affecting people of different incomes.
She noticed that power companies were spending big money on generators and microgrids in wealthy communities, while impoverishing smaller, poorer communities. “I saw what happens when you have a small business and you have a 56-hour outage and your refrigerator goes out and you suddenly have to buy inventory,” she told TechCrunch. “That was kind of an 'aha moment.'”
Seeber began to dig deeper into refrigeration technology to explore areas where battery-powered cooling could make a difference, and she quickly zeroed in on shipping after studying its impact on the climate.
“Could the cold chain be electrified?” she asked herself. “What about battery-powered delivery?”
Seeber's latest startup, Artyc, is her answer to that question: The company has quietly raised $14 million to date, according to PitchBook, and is marketing a product called Medstow Micro that helps hospitals, clinical trials, and medical labs transport temperature-sensitive specimens.
The device is a white plastic cube, small enough to hold in one hand. Open the lid and you'll find up to four vials inside. On the outside, there's a USB-C port for charging a lithium-ion battery that powers a solid-state heat pump, which cools or heats depending on outside conditions. The cube can keep samples at 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 56 hours. A thermometer, accelerometer, and GPS track packages, and a cellular connection lets customers keep track of their precious shipments.
Artyc leases boxes to customers, and because one box can replace both the tracking hardware and disposable ice packs or dry ice, it tends to pay for itself after four deliveries, Seeber said. Plus, because the boxes can be reused, it creates a smaller carbon footprint after two deliveries than competing methods, Seeber added.
One of Seeber's goals at Medstow Micro is to expand patient access to clinical trials. Currently, most clinical trials are conducted at large hospitals in large metropolitan areas. As a result, many who may be eligible tend to be excluded, hurting not only patients who miss out on potentially life-changing treatments, but also the medical field itself. That's because clinical trials that enroll a more diverse range of patients are more likely to produce treatments that benefit more people.
Artyc's next product will be a five-liter capacity, likely targeting expensive, temperature-sensitive foods such as herbs, chocolate and wine, before planning to ship a 25-liter size in 2025. “The challenge for a lot of our customers is really they want to be able to ship things that they can't ship today,” Seeber said.
Other uses are emerging, she says: Hospitals and clinical labs are considering using Artyc's boxes as extra storage during power outages, or even as mobile refrigerators to streamline rounds. “Imagine a world where we had a box on-site, and a traveling phlebotomist could grab it, do their rounds for the day, and take it home,” she says.
Seeber is also looking beyond healthcare in developed countries like the U.S. “We've been in great conversations with some global healthcare foundations,” she said. Now, the team is exploring how to guarantee the temperature of contents in extenuating circumstances.
“How do you build a buffer if you're trying to get to a rural community and the road conditions aren't what you expect and you experience delays?” she said. Still, she's optimistic. “I think it's going to be easier to find an outlet than dry ice.”