Jony Ive has an interesting life after Apple. The latest news from the famous designer is that She invested an undisclosed amount in Cruz, the company that created a USB-C powered bottle cap with built-in blades designed to turn beverage bottles into portable blenders. Cruz launched the $129 BlenderCap at CES earlier this year. The device comes with a 32-ounce vacuum insulated bottle but is also designed to fit other wide-mouth bottles from companies like HydroFlask.
Although Cruise seems like a left-field investment for Ive, it makes more sense given that the company was founded by former Apple engineers Matthew Moore and Dakota Adams, who were part of the team that built the original Apple Watch as well as some of its components. iPhone. “We try to make products in the spirit of Apple” Moore says Bloomberg.
My colleague Sean Hollister recently Try BlenderCap for yourself, noting that it was powerful enough to blend frozen fruit (eventually) and had enough battery life to make six full drinks per charge. The company’s secret sauce is battery technology, which it says can pack more power into smaller forms.
In addition to building its BlenderCap stock, Cruz’s press release notes that it hopes to use Ive’s investment to bring “a series of new products to market” in the next year. Cruise’s Matthew Moore was tight-lipped when we asked what exactly those products were, but said the company is focused on “building a technology ecosystem in the drinkware space, leveraging wide-mouth bottles as our platform.” He adds that Cruz is also working on “various other consumer devices” and describes the “kitchen space” as particularly interesting. “Our battery technology also has a lot of interesting applications where you need portable power in small containers,” Moore says.
I’ve sung the founders’ praises The statement given to BloombergDescribing them as “deeply caring, kind, persistent, and rigorous when working on difficult problems.” Along with Ive, Cruz also counts former Apple vice president Nick Forlenza and former eBay CEO Devin Wenig as investors.
“Typical beer trailblazer. Hipster-friendly web buff. Certified alcohol fanatic. Internetaholic. Infuriatingly humble zombie lover.”