The Austin American-Statesman reported that battery manufacturing startup Base Power moved into the newspaper’s former downtown Austin building. Founded in 2023, the startup makes residential batteries and plans to use the publication’s previous site temporarily.
Base Power CEO and founder Zach Dell, the son of Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell, told the Statesman that his company, which had outsourced its battery production, plans to use the former 55,000-square-foot distribution center as a test run while it brings operations back in-house.
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The startup’s plans aligned with the building’s owners’ search for a short-term tenant. The Statesman reported that the Cox family, the paper’s previous owners who retained control of the building after selling the publication, intended to convert the site into a project that featured condos, offices and retail space. The Austin city council approved the plans in 2022, but a pair of lawsuits from an environmental group stalled the efforts.
Looking to generate revenue in the meantime, the Cox family rented the property to Base Power and Dell, who said the startup will use its time there to determine the location and scale of a permanent factory.
The Statesman reported that Base Power expects to use the paper’s old home for up to two years. The startup has already moved in machinery, begun testing and plans to achieve full production in a few weeks. Base Power currently employs 20 full-time workers at the temporary factory, with plans to hire up to 150 more, complementing its 250-person workforce in Austin.
Dell said that he intends to keep Base Power in Austin but did not disclose any future factory details. According to the Statesman, the startup recently secured a $1 billion funding round. This followed a round a few months ago that valued Base Power at approximately $4 billion.
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