Sep 20, 2018

Exclusive: uBeam CEO Meredith Perry steps down

Dan Primack

Meredith Perry. Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

Meredith Perry has stepped down as CEO of uBeam, the controversial wireless charging startup she founded in 2011, Axios has learned.

What happened: uBeam wants to commercialize its technology via licenses to embed it in third-party products, and Perry felt she wasn't the right person for that task.

  • Employees were notified earlier today, and a public statement is expected.
  • Perry will remain a "senior advisor" to the company and on its board of directors. She also will aid in the search for a permanent CEO. On an interim basis, the company will be led by finance and HR head Jacqueline McCauley, who has been with uBeam since April 2016.

uBeam has raised around $40 million in venture capital funding from Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz and Upfront Ventures.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 716,101 — Total deaths: 33,854 — Total recoveries: 148,900.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 5 p.m. ET: 136,880 — Total deaths: 2,409 — Total recoveries: 2,612.
  3. Federal government latest: The first federal prisoner to die from coronavirus was reported from a correctional facility in Louisiana on Sunday.
  4. Public health updates: Fauci says 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from virus.
  5. State updates: Louisiana governor says state is on track to exceed ventilator capacity by end of this week — Cuomo says Trump's mandatory quarantine comments "panicked" some people into fleeing New York
  6. World updates: Italy on Sunday reports 756 new deaths, bringing its total 10,779. Spain reports almost 840 dead, another new daily record that bring its total to over 6,500.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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