IPO Edge and the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association hosted a fireside chat with the CEOs of Dragonfly Energy and Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp. (Nasdaq: CNTQ) to discuss their pending business combination, advantages of Dragonfly Energy’s lithium-ion technology, proprietary capabilities, and the energy storage market for RVs, marine vessels, and off-grid residences. The event featured Dr. Denis Phares, Chief Executive Officer of Dragonfly Energy and Jonas Grossman, Chief Executive Officer of Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp. joined by IPO Edge Editor-in-Chief John Jannarone and Editor-at-Large Jarrett Banks in a moderated video session lasting approximately 60 minutes including a Q&A with the audience.
Dr. Phares and Mr. Grossman discussed:
- Business and commercial overview of Dragonfly Energy
- The advantage of lithium-ion technology over lead-acid batteries
- Dragonfly’s proprietary capabilities vs. li-ion competitors
- The energy storage market for RVs, marine vessels, material handling, and off-grid residences
- The outlook for solid-state battery technology
- Business combination with Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp. (Nasdaq: CNTQ)
About Dragonfly
Dragonfly Energy Corp., headquartered in Reno, Nevada, is a leading supplier of deep cycle lithium-ion batteries, which are sold direct-to-consumers under the Battle Born Batteries™ brand and to original equipment manufacturers, such as Keystone RV. Dragonfly’s research and development initiatives are seeking to revolutionize the energy storage industry through innovative technologies and manufacturing processes. Today, Dragonfly’s non-toxic deep cycle lithium-ion batteries are displacing lead-acid batteries across a wide range of end-markets, including RVs, marine vessels, off-grid installations, and other storage applications. Dragonfly is also focused on delivering an energy storage solution to enable a more sustainable and reliable smart grid through the future deployment of the Company’s proprietary and patented solid-state cell technology. To learn more, visit www.dragonflyenergy.com/investors.
Dragonfly previously announced an agreement for a business combination with Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp. (“CNTQ”) (Nasdaq: CNTQ), which is expected to result in Dragonfly becoming a public company listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol “DFLI” in the second half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.
About Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.
Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp. (Nasdaq: CNTQ) is a blank check company led by its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kerry Propper, its Chief Executive Officer and Director, Jonas Grossman, and its Chief Financial Officer and Director, Alex Weil. The company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company has focused its search for a target business operating in disruptive technologies. To learn more, visit https://www.cnaq.com/.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Denis Phares first earned a BS in Physics from Villanova University and then went on to obtain his Ph.D. in Engineering from Caltech before settling into academia. As a tenured faculty member of the Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Southern California, Phares began working extensively on renewable energy technologies. He eventually left academia to follow his dream of making an innovative impact in energy storage – an area that had virtually stagnated the advancement of widespread renewable energy adoption. He began working on an MBA from University of Nevada, Reno with the end-goal of starting a business developing battery technology. During this time, Phares met Sean Nichols, and the pair began building batteries out of their garage. There, Dragonfly Energy was born. As Chief Executive Officer of Dragonfly Energy, Phares leads the company’s innovation and research, and is focused on building the company’s solid foundation of technology. His mission is to see Dragonfly’s technology reach beyond mobile and recreational off-grid applications and revolutionize how we power our stationary homes and businesses.
Jonas Grossman is Managing Partner and President of Chardan, where he oversees the firm’s banking and capital markets activities. He has broad transactional experience having led or managed more than 500 transactions since joining Chardan in 2003. Under Mr. Grossman’s leadership, Chardan has become one of the most notable underwriters, advisors, and sponsors of SPACs, having been in involved in 118 SPAC IPO transactions raising over $14.9 billion, serving as an advisor to 41 SPAC transactions totaling over $19.1 billion in transaction value, and having sponsored/co-sponsored 15 SPAC transactions.
Additionally, Mr. Grossman is Chief Executive Officer of Chardan’s 11th sponsored or co-sponsored SPAC, Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp, a disruptive technology and healthcare focused SPAC. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. until its merger in September 2021 with Renovacor, Inc. (NYSE: RCOR). He is currently a director of Renovacor. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition Corp. from March 2018 until its merger in October 2019 with BiomX Ltd. (NYSE: PHGE). Mr. Grossman is currently a director of BiomX. Mr. Grossman was a Founder and Director of LifeSci Acquisition Corp. from March, 2020 until the close of its business combination with Vincera Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: VINC) in December of 2020. He has served as a Director to Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. since December, 2020 and as a Director to CleanTech Acquisition Corp. since July 2021. From 2001 until 2003, Mr. Grossman worked at Ramius Capital Group, LLC, a global multi-strategy hedge fund where he served as Vice President and Head Trader.
Mr. Grossman holds a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. He has served on the board of directors for UNICEF since December 2016.
Contact:
IPO-Edge.com
Daniella Parra
Twitter: @IPOEdge
Instagram: @IPOEdge
