Ember spun out a medicine-shipping unit from its smart-mug business (interview)

Ember makes temperature-controlled products: smart heated mugs, baby bottles and the Ember Cube for shipping medicines.

Temperature-control technology built for a $129 mug can become cold-chain shipping for medicines, if the medical arm is separated to raise healthcare capital.

2,000 Indiegogo backers gave $360,000 in 2015, followed by equity rounds including $13M and $23M.

In the interview Alexander says the 2015 Indiegogo campaign for a $129 heated mug drew skepticism. The first prototype was a Zojirushi mug with electronics.

Alexander says it took about two years to get into Apple stores, after which Apple asked Ember to launch in 27 countries, when it had only shipped to North America; he calls the following year the most excruciating of their lives. Working with Mayo Clinic's Wyatt Decker, a board member, the team developed the Ember Cube, which holds medicines at 5C for 72 hours, and about 18 months before the interview spun out Ember Life Sciences, hiring ex-Dyson executive Jim Rowan to run the consumer arm.

Consumer success gave Alexander the base to ask where temperature control could help healthcare

A board member from Mayo Clinic opened doors to doctors and pain points in medicine logistics

A separate life sciences entity could raise capital from healthcare investors

Over 200 patents in temperature control, per the company, transfer to medical shipping

Separating a new market from the cash-generating consumer line let Ember raise from healthcare investors, per its founder, whose claims are self-reported.

As of 31 March 2024 Ember had two divisions and was developing a cryogenic shipper that, in thermal chamber tests, kept the payload below -150C for 10 days; its commercial launch was about 18 months away according to Alexander. Figures come from the founder.