Dr. Denis Phares, Founder & CEO, Dragonfly Energy – Charging Ahead: Powering sustainability efforts through a battery breakthrough

Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

Outsourcing our sustainability efforts does help us get one step closer to an eco-friendly future, but to make a true impact we have to develop our own resources and processes. Our guest today is helping to drive the green revolution right here at home.

Joining us on this episode is Dr. Denis Phares. After establishing himself as a tenured professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California, Dr. Phares left academia to found Dragonfly Energy in 2012. The stock trades under the symbol DFLI.

His focus is on developing technologies that will change the way we store and harness renewable energy. With three decades of extensive experience in the fields of energy, nanotechnology, fluid mechanics, and powder processing, Dr. Phares has positioned himself as a leading expert in green energy storage and has spent the last 15 years focused on advancing lithium-ion battery technology.He holds a number of patents, some of which are key in fundamental battery cell manufacturing.

Denis received a BS in physics from Villanova University, an MS and a PhD in environmental engineering science from the California Institute of Technology, and for good measure, he also has an MBA from the University of Nevada at Reno.

Highlights:

• Denis' transition from professor to entrepreneur(3:56)
• Behind Dragonfly Energy's unique energy storage focus (5:01)
• The birth of Battle Born Batteries (5:47)
• Current outlook on the RV market's stability (8:23)
• Dragonfly Energy's partnership with RV giant Forest River (9:16)
• Dragonfly Energy's current target market and growth strategy (10:05)
• Research & development and the importance of IP (11:42)
• Denis breaks down battery technology and how they work (12:55)
• Findings from Dragonfly Energy's recent energy assessment (15:58)
• The scalability of lithium-ion battery technology (17:18)
• Product expansion and innovation at Dragonfly Energy (18:34)
• Why Dragonfly Energy's HQ is in Nevada (21:02)
• Denis discusses lithium mining in the US (22:01)
• Current verticals Dragonfly Energy is exploring (23:18)
• Denis provides an overview of the current state of producing solid-state batteries (25:25)
• Denis explains the value of becoming a public company (27:10)

Links:

Denis Phares on LinkedIn

Dragonfly Energy on LinkedIn

Dragonfly Energy Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, [e-mail].