Fli Charge Technology is today announcing it was acquired by an affiliate of Birch Lake Associates. As part of the purchase, industry veteran Khalid Zitouni is taking the chief executive position as the company looks to expand its reach for Fli Charge’s clever power delivery technology.
TechCrunch first spied Fli Charge at CES 2018 when the company demonstrated its tech with Craftsman power tools. Once a Fli Charge device is placed on the strip, charging starts immediately at the same rate as if it was plugged into an outlet. Four small conductive nubs make contact with the pad and serve up power as needed. The system is capable of simultaneously charging batteries of different voltages. One strip can charge a smartphone, power tool and laptop at the same time, even though each device has different power requirements.
Fli Charge tech could bring the convenience of wireless charging to new industries. That’s where Birch Lake comes in.
“The FLI Charge technology is a clear outlier in the power and charging space,” said FLI Charge’s incoming chief executive officer, Khalid Zitouni. “While it resembles wireless charging solutions on the market today, it is not constrained by the limitations that have held back those technologies from garnering significant market adoption or expanding into new product categories. We are excited to rapidly expand our consumer product offerings and continue to develop a robust licensing platform for all portable products, including power tools, IOT devices, drones, audio products and small appliances, among others.”
Zitouni is taking over for former Fli Charge CEO Cliff Weinstein, who is staying on as a company consultant. In 2017, Weinstein led a management buyout to take Fli Charge private after the debut of an early version of the product on Indiegogo in 2016.
When I spoke to Weinstein at CES 2018, he was optimistic about a future where Fli Charge’s technology was built into desks and tool boxes, allowing office workers and construction workers alike to live a cord-free life. Now, with Birch Lake taking the company forward, that future could be nearer than ever. Fli Charge’s implementation of wireless power delivery is impressive and if adopted by the market, could lead to a truly wireless future.
Fli Charge demonstration at CES 2018
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