The Team
Benjamin Lesel, PhD
Co-Founder and CEO/CTO
Benjamin Lesel received his B.S. in Chemistry in 2012 from the University of California, Irvine and his Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry in 2017 from the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time in academia he researched synthetic methods for nano-materials with much of his efforts focused on nano-structuring cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. His research efforts lead him to discover new ways of synthesizing nano-materials which developed into several patents and pathed the way for the technology of NanoDian, Inc.
Danforth Forbes Lincoln
Legal Advisor
Danforth Forbes Lincoln is a 1984 graduate of Northwestern University and a 1987 graduate of Boston University School of Law. Mr. Lincoln is an A-V rated attorney and a partner at Casello & Lincoln Attorneys at Law. Mr. Lincoln has advised various small and mid-sized businesses in Southern California regarding business practices and transactions ranging from contracts, real estate transactions, business purchase and sale to employment matters. As a business litigator, he has handled matters for clients ranging from employment issues to construction defects to Commercial Code and insurance bad faith and coverage issues.
Advisory Board
Peter Foller, PhD
•35 years of experience in product development, strategy & marketing
•Angel investor
•15 years R&D Director at PPG
•Advisor to startups
Robert Neivert
•Mountain View Venture Partner at 500 startups
•4 successful startup exits
•CEO of Ionobell
•Advisor to dozens of startups
Yan Yan, PhD
•9 years of nanotechnology R&D experience
•10+ peer-reviewed articles on nanotechnology chemistry
•3 years of technical consulting
Merle Richman
•20+ years of patent preparation and prosecution
•Startup Patent and Business Advisor
Michael Boehm (Deceased) Co-Founder
Leveraging over two decades of international business experience as a technology entrepreneur, Michael applied his start up and technology skills to cleantech, with a concentration on e-mobility and the new energy economy. He has senior executive experience in EV charging infrastructure, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and microgrids. He managed the Industry Partners Program at SMERC, UCLA's Smartgrid Research Center, where responsibilities included UCLA technology commercialization, including SMERC's Grid integrated EV charging and microgrids spin out MOEV, Inc. Past positions include CTO, carsdirect.com, CEO, XML Asia, CSO, Viewsonic Advanced Products, and Managing Partner, Sustainovation Group at Haig Barrett. Educated at Northwestern University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Michael applies an understanding of the behavior of organizations their technical systems to deliver service and value to customers.