JB Straubel Speaker Biography
Former Chief Technical Officer and Co-founder, Tesla Motors
JB Straubel (Jeffrey B. Straubel) was part of the founding team and the Chief Technical Officer of Tesla Motors, an electric car company based in Palo Alto, California. At Tesla, Straubel oversees the technical and engineering design of the vehicles. He was also responsibile for new technology evaluation, R&D, technical diligence review of key vendors and partners, IP, and systems validation testing. Today, J.B. Straubel is an Independent Board Director at Tesla and is Founder & CEO, Redwood Materials. Redwood Materials aims to recycle lithium-ion automotive battery packs on a large scale.
Tesla
While Chief Technology Officer at Tesla, he oversaw the technical and engineering design of the vehicles. JB also had responsibility for new technology evaluation, R&D, technical diligence review of key vendors and partners, IP, and systems validation testing.
Volacom
Prior to Tesla Motors, Straubel was the CTO and co-founder of Volacom Inc. along with Harold Rosen. Volacom worked closely with Burt Rutan at Scaled Composites to design a specialized high-altitude aircraft platform using a novel hydrogen-powered electric power plant. At Volacom, JB co-invented and patented the new long-endurance hybrid propulsion concept that was later licensed to Boeing.
Rosen Motors
Before Volacom, JB Straubel worked with Harold and Ben Rosen at Rosen Motors as a propulsion engineer developing a new hybrid vehicle drivetrain based on a micro turbine and a high-speed flywheel. Rosen Motors ultimately closed but both main technologies carried on with commercial success, the turbine at Capstone Turbine (CPST) and the flywheel at Pentadyne Power Corp. JB was part of the early team at Pentadyne where he designed and built a 1st generation 150kw power inverter, motor-generator controls, and magnetic bearing systems.
Consulting
In the area of technical expertise, JB has consulted with VC firms Taproot Ventures and Kleiner Perkins in addition to several other private equity investors to conduct technical diligence reviews for many start-ups in the energy and clean technologies category. JB also consults with Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Redwood Materials
In 2019, Straubel stepped down as CTO of Tesla to focus on his startup, Redwood Materials, where he currently serves as CEO. Redwood Materials is a recycling company aimed at creating a circular economy for batteries. This venture demonstrates his unwavering commitment to sustainability, revolutionizing waste management by recycling lithium-ion batteries and e-waste to extract valuable materials.
Education
JB has had a long personal passion for electric vehicles, including building an Electric Porsche 944 that held a world EV racing record, a Custom Electric Bicycle, and a pioneering new Hybrid Trailer System that he designed while in college. He received a B.S. in Energy Systems Engineering and a M.S. in Energy Engineering, emphasis on energy conversion, both from Stanford. Outside of Tesla Motors, JB is also an accomplished pilot and holds private pilot, instrument and multi-engine ratings.
JB Straubel Speaking Topics
Shaping the Future: Sustainability and the Circular Economy
Join JB Straubel, the co-founder, former CTO and current independent board director of Tesla, as he navigates the terrain of the future where sustainability and the circular economy reign supreme. With invaluable insights from his pioneering work at Tesla and Redwood Materials, Straubel will shed light on the transformative potential of innovative technologies and practices. This engaging talk will challenge your perceptions, inspire fresh ideas, and illuminate the path towards a resilient, sustainable, and circular global economy
How to speed innovation like Tesla
Tesla was named "the most innovative company in the world" by Forbes. The company has disrupted electric transportation and is starting to disrupt other sectors like solar and storage. Every new car of the company is pushing the limits further. JB Straubel, co-founder and former CTO, has been critical in many of the innovations and disruptions of the company and installed a culture that fostered innovation. In this keynote speech, JB will talk about how to constantly innovate and how to create a culture in your company that, like Tesla, just keeps innovating faster and faster.
Entrepreneurship: The Tesla Story
When JB Straubel first met Elon Musk in 2003, neither of them could have predicted that they would take Tesla on a hyper-growth journey to become the most valuable car company in the world in less than two decades. In this fascinating keynote speech or fireside chat with a moderator, JB will talk about the origins of Tesla and how they passed from being just a garage startup in Silicon Valley to disrupting electric transportation worldwide.
The future of transportation
In this keynote, JB Straubel, co-founder and former CTO of Tesla, will talk about the future of transportation with self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and what all this means for the infrastructure of cities and our world.
Energy batteries, storage & the future of energy
This talk delves into the cutting-edge realm of energy technologies with JB Straubel, former CTO and co-founder of Tesla. As an expert and pioneer in the field, Straubel navigates the intricate complexities of modern energy storage systems, particularly focusing on the role of batteries. Through his lens, explore how advancements in this sector are revolutionizing our energy landscape and driving us towards a sustainable future. With insights drawn from his work at Tesla and Redwood Materials, this talk offers a compelling and comprehensive look at the future of energy, marked by efficiency, sustainability, and innovation.