We sat down with our founder and CEO Jonathan Cedar to get the story behind Backup and answer questions and comments that have been bubbling up on the boards.
Want to jump around? Check out key time stamps below:
- 00:00 Intro & BioLite history
- 01:52 What makes Backup different?
- 05:09 So....why the fridge?
- 07:34 Why launch on Kickstarter?
- 10:16 Who Is Backup for (and not for)?
Want the cliffs notes version? Check out highlights from the interview below:
Quick BioLite History
Since 2012, BioLite has been on a mission to empower people and protect the planet through access to renewable energy. Our business speaks to two main categories of people: (1) people who live off the grid by circumstance, which is the focus of our work in Africa where we've helped now 15 million people gain first access to energy and (2) people who go off grid voluntarily to recharge themselves through hiking, camping and other forms of outdoor recreation. Through that work, we've become really experienced at developing very safe, very reliable battery systems. As we've looked closer to home, we started to realize there's an increasing number of people in our own communities who are ending up off grid temporarily due to power outages. That insight, combined with our experience developing battery systems led to the idea that is now Backup By BioLite.
What makes Backup different from other solutions out there?
Existing whole home backup solutions can be very expensive, costing around $20,000 or more with installation. Portable power stations, while more affordable, are not designed to integrate seamlessly into the home and may not be readily available during a blackout. We aimed to address these challenges by making Backup more accessible in terms of cost and ease of installation, while still providing many the benefits of a whole-home solution.
We talk a lot about the refrigerator in this campaign, why?
As we were developing Backup and looking to our customers for insights, the most consistent response to the question of "what do you worry about when your power goes out at home" was my fridge. People wanted a way to power their refrigerator when the power goes out but also didn't want to drag out portable units or live with a big battery eyesore in the middle of their living space. We identified the refrigerator, particularly the space above and behind, as having a decently large available space for battery, as long as it was very thin. This insight also drove the form factor of Backup and the need to develop an inverter that could fit in a tight space and have a higher-than-typical efficiency to reduce waste heat.
Why launch on Kickstarter?
We launched Backup on Kickstarter to leverage the feedback and support of the Kickstarter community, which has been instrumental in the success of our four previous campaigns. While we launch Backup with the highest confidence in the technology and safety, feedback from the Kickstarter community helps us ensure we've identified all edge case uses and questions early on in the development process. The Kickstarter campaign also provides an opportunity for early adopters to access Backup at the best deals (plus a 30% federal tax credit on top of that).
Who is Backup for and who might not be the perfect customer for Backup?
Backup is primarily designed for customers who want a quick, easy, and relatively affordable way to backup their most critical rooms in their home, particularly the kitchen. It is well-suited for those who are not ready to invest in a $20,000 whole-home backup system or for renters who are not able to install such systems. Backup may be less suitable for those who are looking to backup their entire home or who have already invested in installed solar and battery systems.
And in case you don’t make it to the end of the video, a quick word from Jonathan to our Kickstarter community:
"I just want to say to our Kickstarter community: thank you so much for continuing to stick with us. This is our fifth Kickstarter and or folks who are new, either to Kickstarter or to BioLite, we're super excited to have you in the fold. We really cherish this early adopter community for the ways that you encourage us, support us, and challenge us to answer questions that we haven't thought of. We really appreciate your participation in this journey with us and thank you for helping us and the world at large progress the way we think about resiliency in a changing world."
-Jonathan Cedar, Co-Founder & CEO of BioLite
