Clayton Alexander
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Clayton 'Clay' Alexander | |
---|---|
Born | 1975 (age 40–41) |
Occupation | Inventor, Entrepreneur |
Clayton 'Clay' Alexander (born 1975 in Chicago) is an American entrepreneur and inventor who has founded three companies and holds over 70 patents.[1]
Biography
Alexander received a Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) in Lighting Design for the Performing Arts in 1999 from California Institute of the Arts. In 1999 at the age of 23, he started his first company Radiance Lightworks which specialized in lighting design for various trade shows, live events and theme attractions.[2] Clients include 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios and Mattel. In 2005 Alexander went on to create his second company Journée Lighting which made the world's first LED track light named "The Lotus." In 2015 Alexander sold Journée to EcoSense Lighting.[3]
During his time at Journée, Alexander invented the General Electric Infusion LED light bulb. While working on his invention for GE, he used thermal science, which led him to create his third company Ember Technologies. Ember's first product was the world's first temperature adjustable mug which uses solid-state electronics. Alexander partnered with the design company Ammunition Design Group led by Robert Brunner for the aesthetics and functionality of the product.[4] Alexander worked with top advisors leading up to the product launch, including Roc Nation's Jay Brown and Philymack's Phil McIntyre,[5] as well as an impressive list of investors such as Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas and Joe Jonas, and NFL's Ndamukong Suh.[6] The mug launched at retail on November 21, 2016 in conjunction with an exclusive brick and mortar partnership with Starbucks.[7][8]
References
- ↑ "Business Rockstars - Clayton Alexander". Business Rockstars.
- ↑ "Angstrom Lighting Provides Fright Through Light". Live Design Online.
- ↑ Donoff, Elizabeth. "EcoSense Acquires Journee Lighting". Arch Lighting.
- ↑ Rhodes, Margaret. "This Mug Keeps Your Coffee a Constant Temperature for Hours". WIRED.
- ↑ "Ember Technologies Taps Top Music Executive to Execute Holiday Launch with Global Reach". Yahoo! Finance.
- ↑ Heine, Christopher. "Starbucks Is Selling a $150 Smart Mug That Lets You Control the Temperature of Your Coffee". AdWeek.
- ↑ Ryan, Kevin. "Starbucks is Now Selling $150 Mugs That Keep Coffee at a Constant Temperature". Inc.
- ↑ Kolodny, Lora. "Starbucks Starts Selling Ember Mugs, Which Keep Your Drink at a Steady Temp For Hours". TechCrunch.