About Us

Urban Electric Power revolutionizes the traditional alkaline battery (e.g Double AA) transforming it into a powerful rechargeable alkaline battery. Incumbent battery solutions are falling short to meet the needs of changing energy infrastructure. 

UEP spun out of federal and state research funds from the City University of New York Energy Institute.

Developing nations utilize toxic lead-acid to solve challenges with electricity access and intermittency. The Urban Electric Power battery utilizes earth-abundant materials from existing supply chains mined within ally nations, ensuring safe supply. 

Urban Electric Power envisions a future with clean renewable energy and safe battery technology to meet these challenges.

Our Team

Board of Directors

Sanjoy Banerjee

  • Lead inventor of UEP’s technology, Distinguished Prof. & Director, CUNY  Energy Institute. 
  • Founding CEO Mindflash Technologies (acquired) 

Jamshyd N. Godrej

  • Chairman and Managing Director of  Godrej & Boyce
  • G&B holding is a global Fortune 500, manufacturing conglomerate in Mumbai, India.

David Elliman

  • Co-founder of Elmrock Capital
  • Served on the boards of Applied Signal  (acquired by Raytheon), and CapMac (acquired by  MBIA).

Tom Baruch

  • Formed CMEA Capital, venture fund  with $1.2B in assets. 
  • Chairman of the Board at Codexis and Intermolecular, serves on the boards of Foro Energy, CNano and Wildcat.

Team

Sanjoy Banerjee

Founder, Executive Chairman & CEO

  • Lead inventor of UEP’s technology, Distinguished Professor & Director, City University of New York  Energy Institute. 
  • Founding CEO Mindflash Technologies (acquired) and former member congressionally mandated Advisory Committee on reactor safeguards.

Jinchao Huang

Director of Battery Development

  • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from City College and senior researcher at the CUNY Energy Institute since 2012-2018
  • 8 years of research experience on zinc manganese dioxide cells and the lead inventor of the zinc blocking membrane applied at UEP battery technology.

Alexander Couzis

Chief Technology Advisor

  • Co-founder, Professor of Chem. Eng. and Interim Dean of Engineering at City University of New York’s City College with 25 years of experience in research and manufacturing
  • CEO of UEP from 2014-2017.

Umer Anwer

Chief Product Officer

  • Masters in Software and Electrical Engineering from NUST and the University of Peshawar respectively. 
  • Brings years of experience with hardware startups with a focus on building profitable engineering divisions, growth-oriented business lines, and enhanced product development and deployment.

Ann Marie Augustus

Chief Operating Officer

  • Co-founder, responsible for strategic planning and company organization.
  • 10+ years in clean energy, Co-Founder Park Place Renewables and  Technology Transfer City University of New York,  MSc in Business Tech Leadership from Brown University. 

    Scott Macon

    Chief Business Officer

    • Industry-leading B2B sales and marketing, technology, SaaS, and applied AI/ML business building expert with 20+ years of P&L and growth management expertise.
    • MBA, Wharton.

      Jinchao Huang

      Director of Battery Development

      • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from City College and senior researcher at the CUNY Energy Institute since 2012-2018
      • 8 years of research experience on zinc manganese dioxide cells and the lead inventor of the zinc blocking membrane applied at UEP battery technology.

      Andy Naukam

      VP of Production

      • Over 30 years leading engineering and factory operations of batteries and energy systems in Europe, China, India, and the US. 
      • Cutting-edge management style keeping a pragmatic sense to lead start-up and factory transformations including close personal oversight of all aspects and details.

      Gautam Yadav

      Director of Advanced Battery Development

      • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and senior researcher at CUNY Energy Institute since 2013-2018.
      • 7+ years of research experience on zinc manganese cells and lead inventor of the technology to access the full two-electron capacity of manganese dioxide cathodes commercialized by UEP.

      Benoît White

      VP of Business Development

      • MS in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology and Grenoble INP.  MBA from Rutgers.
      • 15 years of experience in renewable energy, business development, technical sales, project, and risk management.

      Gabriel Cowles

      VP of Commercial Strategy and Finance

      • 15+ years of business development and project management experience in the clean energy sector.Responsible for financial management, business development, and strategic planning.
      • MPA in Environmental Science and Policy, Columbia University

      Andy Naukam

      VP of Production

      • Over 30 years leading engineering and factory operations of batteries and energy systems in Europe, China, India, and the US. 
      • Cutting-edge management style keeping a pragmatic sense to lead start-up and factory transformations including close personal oversight of all aspects and details.

      John Santoleri

      Chief Financial Advisor

      • 30+ years of professional investing experience including 15 with Warburg Pincus. 
      • A founding member of Clean Energy Venture’s New York City office, focusing on early-stage investments in climate technology.  Also serves as an Innovation Advisor for NYSERDA.

      Benoît White

      VP of Business Development

      • MS in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology and Grenoble INP.  MBA from Rutgers.
      • 15 years of experience in renewable energy, business development, technical sales, project and risk management.

      Gautam Yadav

      Director of Advanced Battery Development

      • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and senior researcher at CUNY Energy Institute since 2013-2018.
      • 7+ years of research experience on zinc manganese cells and lead inventor of the technology to access the full two-electron capacity of manganese dioxide cathodes commercialized by UEP.

      Alex Cajuste

      Director of Production

      • Responsible for cell and battery module production, production team, and manufacturing inventory. 
      • Brings years of experience in battery manufacturing, including lead acid production and lead recycling, inventory and warehousing.

      Meir Weiner

      Lab Director

      • Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from City College of New York (CCNY) and is currently the lead Battery Engineer/Lab Manager.
      • His work at UEP is at the intersection of engineering, materials science, and data analysis. He is also currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Analytics from Georgia Tech for leading the data analytics program at UEP.

      Our Awards