Supplier News

CurbWaste receives funding

CurbWaste has announced the closing of $6 million in funding led by B Capital Ascent Fund, bringing the company’s total financing to $7.2 million. This new round of financing also comes from Mucker Capital, which has one of the most successful vertical software as a service (SaaS) portfolios.

The New York City-based company provides a SaaS solution that is designed to help waste service companies manage and streamline their operations from hauling to disposal.

Waste haulers deal with a host of complicated elements, ranging from where, how often and what is picked up to employee manifests divided by routes and partnerships with other companies to deal with collected waste on the back end, the company says.

CurbWaste says it helps companies collect, understand and leverage their data so they can spend time on high-conviction, high-return activities.

CurbWaste founder and CEO Michael Marmo says, “CurbWaste’s mission is to provide waste haulers with the necessary tools to make their business successful and continue to service their communities safely and effectively.” 

Since its initial preseed investment, CurbWaste says it has implemented a solution for customer and order management, real-time dispatch and automated billing with waste industry customers in the U.S.

This new funding will allow CurbWaste to build industry-specific products that give haulers and their customers a new, more informed way of dealing with their waste.

“The waste industry provides a core utility that is necessary for our society,” says Howard Morgan, chair of B Capital, which is based in New York City. “We are excited about CurbWaste’s ability to change the waste landscape because they have the right team building the right tools that will help haulers and waste companies thrive in an increasingly digital, on-demand world.”

Will Hsu, co-founder and partner at Mucker Capital, Santa Monica, California, adds, “Running a waste company is much more than picking up trash and bringing it to a dump. The day-to-day operations can change minute to minute. Michael Marmo knows this firsthand. He started his career in waste working at a transfer station scale, weighing trucks in and out. We know the main objective is to make the customer successful, and he works toward that goal relentlessly.”

Photo courtesy of Volvo Trucks North America

DOE secretary sees Volvo EV collection truck

Jennifer Granholm, secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, visited TEC Equipment in Fontana, California, in early September to see Mack and Volvo electric vehicle (EV) Class 8 collection and delivery trucks offered by the dealership.

During the visit, Volvo Trucks North America says Granholm and U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar of California “experienced first-hand the Volvo VNR Electric, a battery-electric, zero-tailpipe-emissions transport solution ideally suited for regional haul, drayage, pickup and local delivery.”

The truck manufacturer adds, “They learned about the valuable outcomes from the Volvo LIGHTS project, an innovative three-year project that brought together 14 public and private partners, including Volvo Group, Volvo Trucks and TEC Equipment, to design and implement a blueprint for the robust ecosystem necessary to deploy battery-electric trucks and equipment at scale.”

Taking part in the visit on behalf of Volvo was Jonathan Miller, senior vice president with the truck maker.

Volvo says that while in Fontana, Granholm “discussed the transformative investments in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to increase access to affordable electric vehicles.”

Battle Motors announces $150M investment

Photo courtesy of Battle Motors

Battle Motors, New Philadelphia, Ohio, formerly Crane Carrier Co. (CCC), has completed a Series B investment round with $150 million in new growth capital from a cornerstone global institutional investor.

This capital raise follows a $120 million Series A investment round announced in December 2021.

“We have validated our strategic growth initiatives and the attractive sector fundamentals while identifying additional market opportunity,” Battle Motors CEO Michael Patterson, adding that the plant’s expansion is the “most ambitious” project the company has undertaken.

“We have made the investment in the expansion of the physical plant, acquired the right technology and, most importantly, have made a commitment to the people of central Ohio by already adding 200 employees to our workforce and creating high-tech jobs at a truly momentous time,” he says. “It’s game on.”

The proceeds from this capital raise will be used to expand production throughput to 16 trucks per day, fulfill an existing order backlog, expand electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing capabilities and cover general corporate expenses.

Since acquiring CCC in 2021, Battle Motors has increased production throughput at its Ohio manufacturing plant by increasing automation, expanding floorspace to 325,000 square feet and nearly tripling its workforce to 300 employees. Additionally, Battle Motors has bolstered its management team by hiring several industry veterans. The company also has expanded its dealer network and gained market share in North America.

Development and commercialization of a reliable severe-duty EV truck have been central to the Battle Motors strategy, and the company has announced Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards certification for its EV truck line.

Complementing the EV rollout, it has developed the “Smart Cab” platform, which includes advanced driver-assistance systems and a proprietary connectivity software system designed to deliver data to drivers and fleet managers for enhanced safety, efficiency and security.