Jony Ive is leading an interesting life post-Apple. The latest news from the famed designer is that he’s invested an undisclosed amount in Cruz, the company behind a USB-C-powered bottle cap with built-in blades that’s designed to turn drink bottles into portable blenders. Cruz launched the $129 BlenderCap back at CES earlier this year. The device comes with a 32-ounce vacuum insulated bottle but is also designed to fit on other wide-mouth bottles from companies like HydroFlask.
Although Cruz seems like a left-field investment for Ive, it makes more sense given the company was founded by former Apple engineers Matthew Moore and Dakota Adams, who were part of the team that built the original Apple Watch as well as some iPhone components. “We are trying to make products in the spirit of Apple,” Moore tells Bloomberg.
My colleague Sean Hollister recently tried out the BlenderCap for himself, noting that it was powerful enough to blend frozen fruit (eventually) and had enough battery life to make six full drinks per charge. The company’s secret sauce is its battery technology, which it says can pack more power into smaller form factors.
As well as building out inventory of its BlenderCap, Cruz’s press release notes that it hopes to use Ive’s investment to bring “a series of new products to market” in the coming year. Cruz’s Matthew Moore was tight-lipped when we asked what exactly these products might be but said the company is focusing on “building out a technology ecosystem in the drink-ware space, leveraging wide-mouth bottles as our platform.” He adds that Cruz is also working on “various other consumer appliances” and called the “kitchen space” particularly interesting. “Our proprietary battery tech also has a lot of interesting applications where you need portable power in small enclosures,” Moore says.
Ive sung the founders’ praises in a statement given to Bloomberg, calling them “deeply caring, gentle and tenacious and rigorous when working through difficult problems.” Alongside Ive, Cruz also counts former Apple VP Nick Forlenza and former eBay CEO Devin Wenig as investors.
