uBeam's 2018

So, I told someone I would do a summary of uBeam's 2018, and I've been regretting it all Christmas vacation, as I think there's about 3 people in the world that care anymore. Since I promised, I'm doing it, though it's going to be short. So, in 2018 uBeam:

• Completed a Series B raise, listed as $25 million but IMO likely includes the 2015 convertible note round (so maybe $13 million total?)
• The CTO left
• They posted some pictures of giant boxes that looked nothing like the industrial design version they showed at UpFront Summit the year prior
• Dave Jones did a fantastic uBeam debunking video (done in 2017, I'm an idiot. Still, watch it!)
• The COO left, having barely been there 9 months
• Then CEO Perry did an interview (aired June 2018) where she discussed toxic employees and admitted that nothing had ever received power at uBeam prior to Dec 5th 2016
• The company moved offices from Santa Monica to Marina del Rey
• In September it became public that Perry had "left" to pursue her next great adventure, we still have no idea what it is
• HR Director/CFO then becomes interim CEO
• Company pivots from multi-Watt consumer phone charging to B2B and IoT (means mW)
• Lead investor Mark Suster deletes previous blog statements about funding Perry's next company, and deletes Twitter thread prior to Oct 2018
• Former employee posts a negative company review on Glassdoor where they describe the experience as "Like being paid to sit and witness the ramblings of the mentally ill"
• Announce CES 2019 reveal of wireless charging system

So, yes, going awesome for them. As far as I can tell from LinkedIn, despite that raise they hired a grand total of 3 technicians in 2018, who must be a bit overworked since they lost, and haven't replaced, the CTO, COO, and CEO. The company hires do not suggest a growing company on the verge of releasing a product...

Looking forward to seeing what they do at CES, should be fun. I have a feeling it will be a little bit different than what they were claiming in their fundraising in late 2017. :)

(Post-CES posts here)