Nationality American | ||
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Full Name Stephen E. Crane Occupation Businessman, entrepreneur Title CEO of LightSail Energy Residence Berkeley, California, United States Alma maters Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology | ||
Stephen E. Crane is an American businessman, video game developer and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of LightSail Energy, a compressed air energy storage startup which he co-founded with Danielle Fong.
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Education and video games
Crane attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he studied physics, eventually earning a geophysics Ph.D. In the 1980s, he was director of software development for the graphics company Cubicomp. He was later senior vice president and chief technology officer for the game company Activision, where he helped develop games such as X-Men: Mutant Academy and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Before founding LightSail, he was the Chief Creative Officer at Midway Games in San Diego.
LightSail Energy
In 2008, Crane left the video game industry to start an energy company with Danielle Fong, investing $100,000 in seed capital. The company was initially focused on using compressed air to power a scooter, but later pivoted to energy storage for the electrical grid. LightSail's technology could allow it to achieve up to double the efficiency of previous compressed-air systems. According to Crane, he aims for LightSail's system to be cheap, durable, and fit inside a standard shipping container. As of 2015, LightSail had approximately 55 employees, and had raised $70 million in venture capital investment.