Smart mug maker Ember just spun out a life sciences company – TechCrunch

Ember’s first decade has been a journey. The Southern Californian startup first hit our (and most people’) radar as a mug company. The company captured a good bit of press consideration with its high-end digital mug designed to maintain drinks a constant temperature. Nichey? Certain. Principally pointless? One might actually make the case. Nevertheless it was cool (or heat, I suppose) sufficient to garner a good little bit of early adopter buzz.

If February, the company outlined the beginnings of a shocking pivot. CEO Clay Alexander spoke to TechCrunch about Ember’s plans to undertake its temperature regulating know-how for non-consumer functions. On the finish of the 12 months, it grew to become clear that it could be focusing new efforts on the chilly chain — particularly medical transportation. A month later, it unveiled the Ember Dice delivery gadget.

Picture Credit: Ember LifeSciences

Right now, the company introduced that it is going to be spinning out its efforts within the type of Ember LifeSciences. The standalone vertical started life with an funding from Cardinal Well being introduced late final 12 months. Brian Bejarano of Cardinal will be a part of as president and common supervisor for Ember LifeSciences.

“The Ember Dice is the primary of many healthcare applied sciences developed by our staff, and Ember LifeSciences is the entity the place all our innovations within the healthcare house will stay,” Alexander stated in a launch tied to as we speak’s information. “With Ember Lifesciences, the purpose is to deploy our know-how to disrupt the healthcare distribution trade and enhance the best way we transport temperature-sensitive medicines and vaccines all over the world.”

Picture Credit: Ember LifeSciences / 5 Flute (opens in a new window)

The brand new entity has a pair of latest delivery containers within the pipeline that construct on the preliminary Dice know-how: “an ultra-low temperature shipper and a cryogenic shipper. Each are supposed for use to move cell and gene remedy merchandise and also will embody the identical cloud-based temperature reporting, GPS location monitoring and return-to-sender know-how featured within the Ember Dice.”

Between each the continued vaccine rollouts and seemingly infinite provide chain points, there hasn’t been a hotter time to launch a chilly chain company.