Jeff Bezos is providing financing for a secret EV startup based in Michigan, called Slate Auto, which can start production with next year, according to several sources and documents that connect the billionaire’s family office with startups.
Slate, which called another Bezos company Re: Blood Manufacturing, has been working quietly since its establishment in 2022. The company hired hundreds of employees during the stealth-many of them come from Ford, General Motors, Stellats and Harley Davidson.
It also supported several other wealthy people, including LA Dodgers’ controlling owner and CEO of Gogin Ham Partners, and Thomas tool, which is the central investor of construction manufacturing, and according to documents obtained from the Division of Thomas Tool, Delaware Corporations, Thomas Tool.
Slate Auto is dealing with a major purpose: According to two sources, anonymity was approved to talk about the company’s internal discussions. According to people, leaders inside the company have mentioned Ford Model T or Vox Wagon Beatle as a North Star for the project.
In the service of this goal, he has gathered a major war chest.
According to, the company quietly raised at least $ 111 million in series A rounds in 2023, A public filing. Bezos was involved, and Melinda Liusen, a person who manages his family office, has been listed as director on the paperwork slate, which has filed with the states and the federal government. Filling shows that 16 people have invested in this period. It is unclear how much Bizos put into the company.
Slate has told employees that it has closed a series B late last year, according to several sources of financial support. It has not yet filed any paperwork for the Securities and Exchange Commission for the round. Delaware paperwork shows that it has allowed about 500 million priority shares for Series B, priced at 37 2.37 per share. (Slate also allowed more than 400 million shares of joint stock in the past year, though the price was not stated in the filing.)
The Delaware Paper also has also given a list of new members of the board, which suggested that the two have invested in the Slate Series B round. Couple Recently formed Holding company $ 40 billion to invest. Walter and the tool could not be commented on.
The Slate hopes that they will build their car at the end of 2026 at the Indiana Paul, Indiana, at a manufacturing facility. Job ListingThe state lobbying record, and Interview 2024 with Executive Chairman Rodney Cops. It is not immediately clear if the Slate has purchased the existing factory or plans to make someone from the beginning.
The Clendistein Project is shaped at a difficult time for electric vehicles.
The development of this sector once implemented Is coolAnd several startups dedicated to the construction of the EV have filed for bankruptcy. People who have survived, such as Raven and Loside Motors, do this by burning billions of dollars.
According to various sources and employment lists, Slate Accessories and Apparel plans to complete their low -cost truck margins by making a line of costumes and costumes, according to sources and various job lists, owners can use their cars and their shape to customize. It has filled his executive ranks with Harley Davidson and former employees of Stellates-two companies that have historically been tilt on such sub-business (with former costumes and later with mopped parts and accessories).
According to sources, the Slate’s headquarters is located in Michigan, Michigan, and Startup has also shown investors in the Discretion Design Studios in Long Beach, California. It has targeted people with high net and has a strict lid on its fundraising process.
The company and multiple people who are linked to the Slate, Re: Construction Manufacturing, and the Family Office of Bezos, did not respond to repeated requests to comment on the story. Tech cranch also reached Bezos directly and did not get an answer.
Deep Amazon relationship
The Slate has been shot with Amazon DNA.
Along with Bezos’ Family Office, Slate Series A includes funding from former Amazon Executive Diego Pyntine. His firm’s website.
The Slate was initially formed as a project named Re: Car in early 2022 Re: Blood Manufacturing, Domestic Manufacturing Incubitator, which was jointly established jointly and jointly formed by Jeff Wilke, the CEO of former Amazon users. MIT leaders for global operations Cruel Miles Arnon. Many Amazon’s long -term executives, including Wei Gao, who were Bzoz’s top VP and technical advisers, are now on re -: Construction Manufacturing.
Slate digital, e -commerce, and automotive experience leads are the costs of Amazon. Even in the original name of the slate “Re:” prefixes for Amazon events, such as Re: Mars Robotics and AI Conference, or Annual Re: AWS invented gathering.
Bezos has invested in more than 30 companies through his Family Office in the past years, which has touched the world of AI (anxiety), robotics (figures), Defense (Endorr), and even the movement (Uber). Slate is one of the most direct investments he has done in the world of electric vehicles that his company is out of relationship with Raven with Amazon.
Although its investment has been largely just that. Those familiar with the company’s internal works told Tech Crunch that it had not been seen around the Slate Michigan or Los Angeles offices.
Increase the trend
Almost all EV Startups, which have come over the past decade, have tried to copy Tesla’s view. They have developed their first vehicles for advanced offerings so that they can sell less cars in more money. Finally, after the growing awareness of the brand, these companies move into high volume, affordable EVs that produce small margins.
According to people who talk to the Tech Crunch, the slate is behind the one who hopes it will be the buyer’s “first car”.
The idea is to sell the truck at a cost of about $ 25,000, and the owners have to personalize or upgrade the car over time because they can afford it.
At the end of March, the slate filed for one Trademark On this phrase: “We made it. You make it.” There is a long list of goods and services that can be covered, which includes everything from switches and speakers to USB ports and pets.
Other details can be obtained from many job lists that the Slate has posted in the last two years.
A Posted In 2024, the company would refer to the customer’s customization process as “Slate University”. The list was actually the title “University Lead” and its name was changed before the startup stopped accepting the requests.
The listing states, “We look for a passionate, experienced leader of Slate University to create and guide users for the Open Open Source content to enhance their ownership experience.” “As a lead, you will advance the development of strategies and environmental systems for educational materials and supply for Slate buyers, consumers, technicians and partners.”
Another job Listing “Lead Product Manager, Accessories” explains that the Slate “is looking for opportunities in the power movement and is building honorary accessories, costumes and commercial capabilities.” It also mentions that the person will oversee the development of “utility parts” and “lifestyle and personal accessories”.
This approach-subsidizing the low margin manufacturing business with a high margin accessories game-is used by automated makers, including Harley Davidson, which includes its apparel divisions and jeep makers with steellets, with its mopped parts and service divisions.
Not surprisingly, Slate is already experiencing the experience of these two companies as it has developed its team.
Startup’s executive chairman is Rodney Cops, who spent 20 years in Harley Davidson. Chief Financial Officer Ryan Green spent almost a decade on the motorcycle maker’s finance side. (Cops and Green were also stains in Raven.) Slate heads of service, commercial, accessory product management, and growth marketing also worked in Harley Davidson.
According to a job list, the Slate apparently plans to source its high -voltage battery packs, electric motors, and other related tech from external suppliers. According to another list for Windshield wipers’ design/release engineer, startup is “challenging the design status of vehicles”. A posting for the role of the accountant states that the person hiring the person will have to help implement the systems required to become a public company.
According to another role, any possible head of PR and communication: “Car should be loved! You’re thinking about cars all day, and when you love cars, this is the most enjoyable.”
No founder found
Another way in which Slate pushes the trend of other EV startups is that it is not the founder of serving as CEO.
According to sources with Tech Crunch, Arnon is considered to be the founder of the slate, but his daily job is serving as the CEO of REK: Construction Manufacturing.
Instead, CEO of the slate is Christine Berman, who has been experienced for a long time. According to 2023, she initially joined the automotive industry via internship at General Motors after going to Pardo University. Interview.
He then spent more than 20 years overseeing the car line program for Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Jeep Cherokee in Chrysler. Burman eventually became the Vice President of Electrical and Electronics for Fayyat Chrysler, where he led the integration of the automaker’s Android Automoto and spent time working on the company’s cooperation with Vimo in 2017, leaving the company in 2017.
Burman has not posted online in the last decade like many of his EV startup CEO colleagues. Instead, she is advising companies about emerging tech and teaching engineering before joining mostly in 2022, which was a newborn EV project again at the time: Manufacturing construction.
Burman did not respond to a comment.
Kirsten Corrosic contributed to this report.