A new Dallas startup is working to make charging your smart devices on the go more convenient and secure. 

Juice-BX is planning to introduce two products this summer — standalone charging stations with rapid charge capability and secure lock boxes so users never have to worry about their items being stolen. The charging stations will be installed first in North Texas and then in other areas across the U.S.

Robert Brevelle, Juice-BX CEO and serial Dallas-based entrepreneur, was determined to have Juice-BX’s initial launch in Dallas because of the large retail presence in the area as well as the number of colleges that call North Texas home.

“Staying connected is not a nicety to have anymore, it’s something that’s expected by everyone.”

Robert Brevelle

“We have already got a handshake agreement with a local university … I’d love to have one of our stations at the university, one in a high-end retail setting, and another in a high-end restaurant, nightlife, or bar setting,” Brevelle told Dallas Innovates.

He said the company is getting in on the ground floor of a relatively untapped market in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He envisions having charging stations in local shopping centers and restaurants will make after work errands or nights out with friends easier, as it ensures the ability to stay connected. The service also would benefit businesses by drawing in foot traffic.

“Staying connected is not a nicety to have anymore, it’s something that’s expected by everyone,” Brevelle said.

JUICE-BX LAUNCHED OUT OF WEST COAST INCUBATOR

Juice-BX is part of the first batch of startups to be bred out of a partnership between Washington- and Silicon Valley-based Invention Science Fund Incubator and Utah-based Technium. ISF, the accelerator arm of intellectual property licensing company Intellectual Ventures, announced the collaboration with Technium in October to push commercialization of IV-owned inventions by recruiting entrepreneurs whom could nurture them into companies. 

“Working with Technium allows us to quickly recruit qualified entrepreneurs, connect them with our technology, and set them on a path toward success,” Conrad Burke, vice president of new ventures at ISF Incubator, said in a release. 

Operations are primarily based in Dallas, but heavily supported by team members at ISF’s facilities in Seattle and Silicon Valley.

“As we look beyond this year, we’d love to start tackling what our patent also covers — the charging of electric vehicles and drones.”

Robert Brevelle 

“Finance, accounting, legal, human resources — all of the things you typically think of as the backbone of a company — the ISF Incubator and Intellectual Ventures teams provide. We get access to world class IP and patent attorneys,” Brevelle said. 

Brevelle mentioned a new partnership with a company that has an office in Dallas, to be announced in the next month.

Juice-BX also recently reported three additions to its leadership team — Steve Gehfeld as the vice president of operations, Joe Jaramillo and Mauro Cisneros as vending subject matter experts.

Later on this year, Juice-BX plans to expand its product line to a wall unit, a station capable of popping up at festivals and trade shows, and a mobile charging platform, Brevelle said.

“As we look beyond this year, we’d love to start tackling what our patent also covers — the charging of electric vehicles and drones,” he said.