>> Announcer: Live from Las Vegas, it's theCUBE. Covering InterConnect 2017, brought to you by IBM. >> Welcome back to Las Vegas, everybody. This is InterConnect 2017, and this is theCUBE, the leader in live tech coverage. GreenBrain Technologies is here. The CTO is Joanne Negron and the CEO, Himesh Patel. Folks, welcome to theCUBE; thanks for coming on. >> Interviewees: Thank you. >> So we were talking off-camera about this really interesting story about GreenBrain, but let's start with the founder, the CEO. Tell us about GreenBrain Technologies. >> Well, GreenBrain Technologies is a company that's brought together some really talented individuals, our core team. The technology itself is going to revolutionize electricity. This is our belief in terms of making people think what if they can charge their cell phone without plugging it in the wall. What if they can drive their car down the street without ever stopping at a charging station? >> So is this really going to happen, wireless charging? I can't wait. >> Joanne: Absolutely. >> Dave: So you're helping build this, right Joanne? >> Yes. >> Dave: So what's behind it, what can you tell us about the technology? >> I can tell you what makes us unique. So wireless power is not new. What we've done is we have a patent of integration, and what we do is we harvest ambient energy and alternative energy, we store it, and we transmit it wirelessly as usable energy across a distance so that you can move around with your phone, your tablet in your car or even at a hotel resort without ever having to plug in. And it's completely sustainable, and it heals the Earth. >> So you've got-- I don't know if this is a proper term, but you've got points of presence that I can connect to and charge my-- >> Absolutely, we call them power antenna stations, and those are the stations that transmit the wireless power, much like your cellular network works today. And you have what we're calling WISE power cards at the receiver end that actually receive that wire transmission, that wireless power transmission. >> So in concept, this could completely transform not only the energy business, but every business. All right, I guess that's why you started this, but why did you start GreenBrain? >> Well, my dear friend here made a phone call to me one day, and said, "I got an idea;" (laughs) that was it. >> It was part of my thesis-- >> Okay, so you guys are co founders? >> We've known each other for-- yes, of course. >> It was part of my thesis, and I did some things to prove the concept, and then called Himesh up and said, "What do you think?" And he said, "Let's do it." >> So now, okay, so what's the long-term vision? How do you see this transforming, let's start with the utilities industry, the energy industry? >> Well, I believe there will be possibly some challenges possibly on the regulatory side, because if we go to utility companies, we're asking utility companies today to unplug from the grid, and we're asking consumers to unplug from the grid. Depending on how they're going to take that, we can either partner with them or we'll build our own grid. >> Okay, so you were telling me you were a self-funded entity at this point in time; this is not an inexpensive proposition. >> Himesh: No, no. >> How do you see this evolving? You've got to prove the concept, right? >> Joanne: We have. >> And you have, okay. And then you've got to get some early customers. You know, usually, we sell to our friends, people we know in the business. They give us some good feedback and then you start to scale from there. But it's going to take a lot of ecosystem, money, hard work, eating glass we call it. >> So to begin with, IBM has helped us to develop an application that now allows Android mobile users to share their data with us, so their battery charging history, their location history; and that way we can build networks based on where the usage is, where the peak times are, et cetera, et cetera. It's kind of a focus group on a phone. In return, what we do is we give them a lot of information about their battery usage, and we also kind of educate them on what the current use of grid transmission technology does to the Earth, because at the end of the day, we want to heal the Earth. So we give them carbon footprint and their carbon emissions, and it also helps us build brand recognition. So that's phase one, is gathering enough data for us to be able to look at where are the municipalities or where are the areas where we can build and there's a definite need, and then we take it from there. >> So obviously, you're paying close attention to what Tesla's doing with its charging stations, and what do you make of that? What are the learnings that we can derive from that? What's working, what's not working? >> Well, I'll give an example. We've done some work in Asia. I was just talking to a friend in Hong Kong, and Tesla has sold 300 cars in Hong Kong, China. In the last 18 months, the Chinese government said, "No more tax on the import;" they sold 6,000. They got a big problem, because there's a queue to get to the superchargers; it's a three-hour line, and some of them are afraid that they're going to lose their charge while they're waiting in line. So there're some challenges I think coming for Tesla in terms of how he's going to expand if he doesn't have a good strategy, a well-defined strategy in terms of his recharging; whereas with GreenBrain, you never have to pull up to a charging station. You're going to get powered while you're moving. And it's like a cellular network, which is the unique part of this. We're integrating everything onto a network similar to a cellular network. Now, building out the network is an enormous task. So you asked how will this-- how much money and all this. Our timeline, we'll first go to a country which we've kind of spoke about in Asia, which is a small, compact country. We can't say which one right now. It's got a good size population, they're very innovative in terms of adaptation to technology. >> I can guess. I won't. >> Yeah (laughter) okay. And we believe it'll be a perfect example... of how GreenBrain can help a city, yet in this case, a country, and how we'll deal with the regulatory issues, how the adoption will come on the electrical vehicles or the cell phone usage. And then the hospitality, you know, there are so many different sectors that we can go to. Hospitality is a big one because it's a big consumer of energy, 24-365. And we have some very specific solutions for the hospitality industry, not just through GreenBrain, but some other applications that we've developed with IBM 15, 20 years ago. So now we're coming to fruition because of Watson and analytics has allowed the exponential growth and the speed at which we can deploy not just the software, but the GreenBrain technology also now. >> So in the example of the small country in Asia, the government obviously would put in some funding, right? 'Cause they're transforming lifestyles. So that's a funding model for sure. You mentioned the hospitality industry; you were talking about hotels, for instance, resorts, et cetera. They could put in infrastructure, is that right, or? >> It could be part of the construction of a hotel or the enhancement or remodeling of a hotel. I mean, hotels are going through upgrades all the time, and when the new hotel is being constructed, we can build it right into the infrastructure. >> Right, and that's an attraction for guests to stay. I don't know if you're familiar with the Levi's Stadium example, where they have great wireless, okay, everybody-- it's a great experience. It's a new stadium, okay, well of course the newer stadiums are going to improve on that. So the same thing within the hospitality industry. Is there any favorite industry or beachhead industry that you're going to target? >> Well, our initial prototype has been built around Android devices. I don't know how far we'll go with that, but we definitely are able now to connect Android devices and power them up remotely, so we may expand on that and just give Android users, for once, a leg up on Apple. >> So what kind of infrastructure do you need to enable that to occur? >> Well, it's actually quite simple. It's a lot simpler than the current, antiquated system. We have power antenna stations that are self-contained. They have all the technology for energy harvesting and capture. They have the proper ultracapacitor storage and they have the transmitter. And built in there we also have some network communication software and electronics. And then on the other end, we have a receiver that for now is external to the battery, but we will eventually either work with battery companies or build our own mobile cases that we can connect to and one speaks to the other over distance. >> How large are these stations? Is it like a cell tower, or is it-- >> No no, they're actually quite smaller. Right now, we only have in-building power antenna stations but the outdoor ones, if we go that route, won't be much larger. >> So at volume, they're less expensive than a cell tower? >> Oh yes. >> Much less, right? >> And less maintenance, right? As well, 'cause we don't have to build the power plants underneath them and whatnot; they're sustainable, they're self-contained. >> Right, okay. So you're starting with this Android vision. Talk a little bit about how you see that transforming the mobile phone business, the smartphone business. >> I think it-- well, for one, part of our ambient energy collection is actually cleaning up that RF energy that we're now surrounded by and making, and turning it into usable power. So there's a lot of that RF around us on a consistent basis. We're kind of filtering that out and giving it back to the consumer as something that they can use instead of something that they can fear. And the other thing is that it just-- we've learned that millennials specifically have, suffer from now what's called battery anxiety, right, where they need to be charging and connecting. >> It's not just millennials (laughs). Got my Mophie. (laughs) >> So it's going to change I think business and communication and just a comfort level I think that they'll be with people. And we're not even-- the mobile side of the house and even the hospitality side of the house is quite important to first world. But then there's third world issues that we can solve. Putting power in places that there isn't power. There's 1.2 billion people in the world that have never seen electricity before and we're going to change that. And, you know, electricity enables civilization and education, and for natural disasters, you no longer have to, you know, wait to build or fix what's been broken. We can bring in power immediately. So the mobile phone, that's the sexy part, but the part that really moves us is what we can do in places where there isn't power. >> And the source is solar. >> And the source is either solar, wind, earth, and ambient. >> It's, it's sustainable. >> It's sustainable. >> Wow. So what's next for you guys? >> Joanne: Vacation. (laughs) >> No, no; it's about 15 years from now. (all laugh) So how should we, what should we be looking for in terms of milestones and roll outs? >> I think milestones, roll outs, we'll get completed with our WISE card as Joanne's explained. We'll identify and secure the first prototype city and then go into deployment. But I think right now with the application that we've developed with IBM, you know, in the future, like if you were building out a network, you just start building out networks, pulling wires all over the city. Whereas with us, with this application, it will actually allow us to identify where the concentrated areas of usage is and deploy the network in a place where we know it's going to be used instead of putting an antenna where it's getting 10% usage. So I think to us, that's the most important step right now is getting this application out to consumers to start kind of understanding GreenBrain, the story. See how they're moving about, how they're consuming energy; and then, based on that, saying we need to put antennas here and build out the network like this. >> You obviously, you pay attention to what Musk is doing and there's a propensity toward vertical integration, to be able to control the supply chain and any customization. Is there a similar, I don't want to say requirement, but leaning in this business, or is it more the case of you need really this robust ecosystem to thrive? Is it more the latter or the former, do you think? >> I think we definitely need this robust ecosystem to survive. I mean, I think what Mr. Musk is doing is definitely revolutionary on its own, and I think there's room for-- You know, I think the common thread is that we all want to do the right thing now and bring the planet into the century that it should be in. The grid has been antiquated for a long time, long before Elon Musk came along or GreenBrain came along, and I think everybody working on some way to resolve that is a good thing. And we have different technologies, but it's-- They're not competing, they're certainly different. >> Well, GreenBrain, founded by some big brains, so congratulations on getting off the ground, and best of luck, we'll be watching. Thank you for coming on theCUBE. >> Interviewees: Thank you. >> You're welcome. All right, keep it right there everybody, we'll be back with our next guest. This is theCUBE; we're live from InterConnect 2017. Be right back. (light electronic music)