Infinitum

Bringing Motors to their Full Potential

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Startup says its electric motor can save power in conveyors

Startup says its electric motor can save power in conveyors

Infinitum raises $185 million, partners with Rockwell Automation to bring product to warehouses

Ben Ames

A Texas startup firm that landed $185 million in venture capital last month says its newfangled electric motor could help warehouses cut their electric bills and carbon footprints by running their conveyors far more efficiently.

According to Austin-based Infinitum, the majority of electric motors today waste energy because they operate at a single speed, either fully on or fully off. But the firm’s new variable speed motor reduces energy and emissions. The difference can add up quickly, because motors are the single largest end-user of energy, consuming 53% of electricity globally, the firm said, citing the International Energy Agency (IEA). And in the U.S. industrial sector, motors alone consume nearly 70% of total electricity used to power numerous core industrial applications, such as compressors, pumps, fans, and processing and material handling equipment.

The company’s answer is the “sustainable air core motor,” featuring a design with a built-in variable frequency drive (VFD) that reduces energy usage by running the motor at lower speeds when possible. The motor is 50% smaller and lighter, uses 66% less copper and no iron in the stator, and consumes 10% less energy1 than traditional motors. That makes it appropriate for applications in commercial heating ventilation and air condition (HVAC), industrial pumps, and conveyance and material handling.

Investors like the idea too, as shown by the company’s $185 million “series E” funding round, led on November 1 by Just Climate with participation from Galvanize Climate Solutions and NGP. Existing investors including Rockwell Automation, Alliance Resource Partners, Riverstone Holdings, Chevron Technology Ventures, Cottonwood Technology Fund, and Ajax Strategies also participated in this round, bringing total funding to-date to $350 million.

Rockwell Automation is also partnering with Infinitum to bring the product to market, announcing in September that the two companies would jointly develop a motor and low-voltage drive solution that is compatible with Rockwell’s industrial automation solutions.

The system works by replacing the motor’s stator, which is an iron core wrapped in copper wire, with etched copper wiring on a printed circuit board, according to Bhavnesh Patel, Infinitum’s chief strategy officer. In addition to improving the efficiency, that approach also delivers better noise, reliability, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, he said. While the motor itself is a “fairly small item in a broader facility,” a typical Amazon-scale warehouse would have hundreds if not thousands of such units, so the potential savings are significant, Patel said.

In addition to cutting power bills, the motor’s improved reliability will also help warehouse operators to reduce the labor needed to maintain industrial equipment. “Traditionally, running current through copper expands and contracts the wire over time, as you use the conveyor, so it will eventually snap and break. Our design is nine times more reliable, which is important for mission critical facilities like logistics or food handling, where you can’t afford to have downtime.”

Read the full article at DC Velocity.

High-efficiency low-voltage drives and motors for energy-intensive applications

High-efficiency low-voltage drives and motors for energy-intensive applications

Rockwell/Infinitum

Rockwell Automation and Infinitum have formalised an exclusive agreement to develop and distribute jointly a new class of high-efficiency, integrated low-voltage drive and motor technology.

According to the two companies, the new partnership will deliver marketleading integrated drives and motors, giving manufacturers the ability to deliver sustainable outcomes with less consumed energy, raw materials, and waste.

Dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, Rockwell Automation, Inc. will work with Infinitum, creator of the sustainable air core motor, to develop a solution that will significantly save energy and cut costs for industrial customers globally, while helping them to reduce their carbon
footprint and become more sustainable

This powerful package will help companies to reduce
their carbon footprint, with a motor system that is 50
percent smaller and lighter, uses 66 percent less copper,
and consumes 10 percent less energy than traditional iron
core motors.

Sustainability drivers

As companies grow more energyconscious and look to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, variable frequency drives (VFDs) with high-efficiency motors have increasingly come into focus. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electric motors consume approximately 40 percent of the electricity consumed globally, with the percentage rising to nearly 70 percent for industrial companies.

Under this agreement, Rockwell’s market-leading PowerFlex drive technology will be combined with
Infinitum’s high-efficiency Aircore EC motor system. This powerful package will help companies to reduce their carbon footprint, with a motor system that is 50 percent smaller and lighter, uses 66 percent less copper, and consumes 10 percent less energy than traditional iron core motors.

This agreement opens new customer channels for our sustainable motors, that can power the world with less energy, material, and waste.

“We’ve long recognised the benefits of Infinitum’s integrated motor and drive system, because of its class-leading energy efficiency, sustainability, and ease of operations,” said Barry Elliott, Vice President and General Manager of Power Control, Rockwell Automation. “We’re excited about the powerful impact that our new joint solution will have on improving sustainability, energy-efficiency, and productivity for our customers around the world.”

Rockwell and Infinitum have collaborated since 2021, when Rockwell made an initial investment in Infinitum as part of the company’s Series C funding.

“We’re excited to extend our successful partnership with Rockwell Automation. This agreement opens new customer channels for our sustainable motors, that can power the world with less energy, material, and waste,” said Ben Schuler, founder and CEO, Infinitum. “Working with Rockwell will enable a direct and widespread impact on industrial companies, reducing electricity consumption and increasing sustainability for this energy-intensive sector.”

The integrated VFD and motors will be available in late 2024 exclusively through Rockwell and its partners.

Read the full article at Panel Building & System Integration.

35 startups named to the 2023 Austin Inno Fire Awards list

35 startups named to the 2023 Austin Inno Fire Awards list

By Brent Wistrom – Editor, Austin Inno

Looking back, 2023 has been a bit of a rollercoaster for startups.

While funding rounds shrank and slowed their pace, dozens of local companies were able to secure the backing they need to innovate, iterate and, of course, go to market. Austin Inno’s annual Fire Awards seek to highlight these companies that broke through to achieve big gains.

The standout startups on this list were sourced through nominations, Inno’s reporting throughout the year and the Austin Business Journal staff. Many of them raised large sums of money from venture capital firms, while others made their mark by launching new products, landing big name partners or merging with other companies.

The list also aims to spotlight the broad range of innovations being developed in Austin. That includes companies building AI-powered robots, particle accelerators and rocket ships, in addition to cybersecurity, fintech and biotech. Inno is once again also highlighting the supporting cast of accelerators, venture firms and nonprofits that help tie our tech community together and fuel its future.

On Dec. 13, we’ll all get together to celebrate these successful startups at the Inno Fire Awards at the Texas Bankers Association, which has delightful views of the Texas Capitol and downtown. During the party, we’ll spotlight all 35 companies on this list and name a Blazer winner for each category. Pick up a ticket here.

Now, let’s check out this year’s Fire Award winners…

CPG – Hardware

Firefly Aerospace – Firefly has been wowing us for a few years, and it’s back on the 2023 fire list because it’s secured a bevy of new launch contracts to deploy satellites and explore the moon. Meanwhile, in February, the company raised the eight-figure first tranche of what could be a massive $300 million funding round.

EnergyX – In April, EnergyX landed a $50 million series B funding round from GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors Co. to commercialize its technology and refinery processes at locations in North and South America. The company, founded in 2018, has developed a new way of extracting lithium from brine. It frames that process, called direct lithium extraction or DLE, as a more efficient and sustainable way to obtain lithium metal. 

Infinitum – This startup, which makes smaller and more efficient motors for industrial processes, HVAC systems, data centers and materials handling, has been booming for a couple years. But it really made waves in 2023 when it announced it had raised $185 million in series E funding. With that, it  announced it will open a new, 110,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Saltillo, Mexico, that will be capable of producing 200,000 motors per year.

Apptronik – This year, Apptronik drew nationwide attention when it announced the launch of Apollo, a humanoid robot developed through a decade of iterations by the startup. It’s 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. It can lift up to 55 pounds, and its primary function so far is moving boxes around in warehouses. But more is on the way as the company unlocks new applications to give it new functions.

TAU Systems – This University of Texas spinoff this year announced it has secured a location in California where researchers around the world can come and conduct high-level research with its small-scale particle accelerator. Only two other accelerators in the U.S. can boast as much power from their electron beams, and they’re both about three kilometers long, compared to TAU’s 20 meter device.

Software/AI

CharterUp 

Coder 

Howdy.com

Overhaul 

Atmosphere

Gage Zero 

One Model 

8fig 

ContentStack 

ProsperOps 

Cybersecurity/Fintech

SpyCloud 

Eagle Eye Networks 

Ouro 

Social impact/edtech/Healthtech

Babson Diagnostics 

Omaiven Health 

Pattern Bioscience 

Card.io 

Diligent Robotics 

Investors/community support

TXV Partners 

Capital Factory 

Trust Ventures 

Austin Women in Technology 

DivInc 

M&A

Setpoint 

OJO Labs

Data.World 

Curative 

CesiumAstro 

You can check out last year’s Fire Award winners here.

Read the full article at Austin Inno.

Central Texas electric motor company looks to grow in Austin, Mexico after $185M funding

Central Texas electric motor company looks to grow in Austin, Mexico after $185M funding

Kara Carlson – Austin American-Statesman

Central Texas-based Infinitum makes motors that include circuit boards that cut down on some of the costly equipment required in traditional motors. The company’s motors are shown here in a data center.

A Central Texas-based motor company is looking to expand its workforce and footprint in Austin and Mexico on the back of raising $185 million in funding.

Infinitum, which was founded in 2016 by CEO Ben Schuler, makes motors that include circuit boards that cut down on some of the costly equipment required in traditional motors. As a result, Infinitum says its motors are more efficient, smaller and quieter than traditional motors.

Infinitum’s latest funding round was led by Just Climate, a climate focused investment business. In total, Infinitum has raised $350 million in funding to date.

Infinitum said the latest funding will be used to grow the company’s production to help meet customer demand and help aid decarbonization in the industrial sector.

“Electric motors consume over half of global electricity every year. So having a lighter, quieter, more efficient electric motor can have a massive impact on energy demand and also energy consumption,” Schuler said.

Infinitum serves a number of sectors that use electric motors such as the HVAC market, logistics centers, data centers, vehicle manufacturers, material handling and the motors are also used in products such as fans and pumps. Schuler said electric motors are becoming increasingly used as facilities increasingly automate their operations.

Schuler said demand for the company’s products helped the company to raise capital in what has been a tricky market for startup funding.

“Having the cash that we need to deliver on the demand that we have from our customers is great and really enables us to amp up and meet the demand that we have,” Schuler said.

Schuler said raising funding in the current economic environment was “very challenging,” but emphasized there is still capital out there.

“If you have the kind of story and the demand that Infinitum has, ultimately that’s what enables (funding). Having demand from our customers that out paces our capacity,” Schuler said. “If we were not in that fortunate situation, it would have certainly been even harder.”

Growing locally and in Mexico

The company, which was founded in Austin in 2016, moved to Round Rock in 2019, where Infinitum has already since expanded once to its current 35,000 square-foot-space. Now, with part of its funding, Infinitum is moving its headquarters back to Austin into an even larger 90,000 square-foot building where the company plans to build out more advanced lab space.

“There is not enough room in our Round Rock facility to house all the people that we will have and all the testing or resources that we will need,” Schuler said. “The new space enables all those things.”

The new Austin facility will house a range of the company’s teams including those focused on engineering, research and development, testing, certification and operation, design for manufacturing infrastructure, and supply chain.

The company is also expanding its manufacturing footprint in Mexico, adding a facility in Saltillo, about a half hour outside of Monterrey, which will be able to make 200,000 motors a year. Infinitum also already has a Tijuana facility, which is able to make 100,000 units a year.

“By the end of 2024 we will have the ability to make 300,000 units a year, which will help us as we grow into 2025 and beyond,” Schuler said.

The expanded footprint in both locations comes as the company looks to scale up its workforce. Currently the company’s global footprint stands at about 125 people, but Schuler said the company aims to grow to 150 before the end of the year and grow to just over 200 people by the end of 2024.

Schuler said the company plans to hire across the board in positions such as engineering, research and development, operations, supply chain, manufacturing, and green testing.

The company’s growth plans also come as it teams up with Rockwell Automation, which manufacturers industrial automation products. The companies are working to jointly develop a motor system that’s compatible with Rockwell’s products and will be distributed through Rockwell to customers in sectors such as material handling.

Schuler said in the United States, electric motors consume 70% of the energy used by sectors that Rockwell customers are part of. For example, increasingly automated logistics facilities use lots of motors as packages are moved around the world, he said.

“It’s a massive opportunity for decarbonization and for us to deploy our high efficiency product and really drive down energy consumption,” Schuler said.

Read the entire article at Austin American-Statesman.

Infinitum raises $185M to make more efficient motors, expand operations in Mexico

Infinitum raises $185M to make more efficient motors, expand operations in Mexico

New factory, new HQ and hiring spree ahead

The Infinitum Aircore EC motor is used in industrial systems, HVAC systems and at data centers.
Business Wire

By Brent Wistrom – Editor, Austin Inno

As a product engineer working on LCD glass panels for materials manufacturer Corning Inc., Ben Schuler learned shaving 30 seconds off a cycle time could translate to $100 million in additional revenue over the course of a year.

“I was blown away,” he said.

He’s carried the concept with him through the years and as he founded Infinitum in 2016. The startup makes smaller, lighter and more efficient motors for industrial processes, HVAC systems, data centers and materials handling. Schuler said that electric motors consume over half of all global electricity each year, so making them significantly more efficient could have a massive impact on the world.

Investors appear to also see a lot of promise in the company’s mission. 

Infinitum on Nov. 1 announced it has raised $185 million in series E funding. The massive investment — one of the largest in the Austin area this year — was led by London-based Just Climate. Other investors included Galvanize Climate Solutions and NGP. Existing investors including Alliance Resource Partners, Rockwell Automation, Riverstone Holdings, Chevron Technology Ventures, Cottonwood Technology Fund and Ajax Strategies also pitched in.

The company has now raised a total of $350 million. It declined to share its valuation. 

Armed with fresh funding, the company announced it will open a new, 110,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Saltillo, Mexico, that will be capable of producing 200,000 motors per year. It’s expected to open in the first half of next year. That adds to Infinitum’s existing 65,000-square-foot facility in Tijuana, Mexico, which can produce 100,000 units per year. 

Altogether, the company will be able to produce about 300,000 motors annually.

Infinitum motors used to power data center cooling equipment.
Business Wire

Infinitum’s headcount is about 150 employees, and Schuler said the company will hire roughly 75 people more to reach 225 employees in 2024. The hiring will be across the board for roles in engineering, operations, supply chain, marketing, sales, research and development and finance, he said.

Infinitum, which is headquartered in a 35,000-square-foot space in Round Rock, is also about to close a deal on a new headquarters in Austin that will be about 95,000 square feet. Schuler declined to say where in Austin the new space will be.

The company’s growth comes as more companies strive to reach climate goals by reducing carbon footprints, in addition to saving money on rising electrical costs. While many traditional motors only run at one speed, Infinitum’s innovation brings a built-in variable frequency drive to reduce energy usage by running at lower speeds when possible. The motors also use less than half the copper of traditional motors and don’t use iron cores. Schuler said that eliminates core losses in the motor, which leads to a higher-efficiency machine that’s lighter and quieter.

The new funding comes weeks after Infinitum announced a partnership with Rockwell Automation to jointly develop a motor system compatible with Rockwell’s industrial automation systems. 

“We believe replacing millions of outdated, single-speed motors with higher-efficiency, variable speed motors is key to helping the industrial sector meet sustainability objectives and solving the net zero challenge,” Benoit Grobon, a director at Just Climate, stated.

Infinitum’s funding round appears to be the largest for an Austin startup this year, and it is one of just a few $100 million-plus deals so far in 2023. Cybersecurity startup SpyCloud raised $110 million in August, and Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences secured $150 million in January.

Read the full article at Austin Inno.