J.J. Watt Teams Up With Texas Billionaire Family Son Zach Dell In a Power Play — Inside Base Power’s Battery Vision

Houston Texans great J.J Watt may have relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, but the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year keeps his business savvy focused on opportunities in Texas. His portfolio now includes startup venture co-founded by Zach Dell, the son of Dell Technologies billionaire Michael Dell. That would be Base Power Company, which provides Texas-sized home batteries that click on when the power goes off.

Having lived in Houston for 10 years and experiencing storm-related power problems, including during Hurricane Harvey, Watt knows the pain that many of us have shared through rolling blackouts, power outages and grid overloads. Remember Winter Storm Uri of 2021. Brrrrr!

Watt has joined Austin-based Base Power’s inner circle as an investor and partner, bringing football star power, wholesome credibility and another very familiar name to its energy push. He is investing as part of the company’s $1 billion Series D financing.

“J.J. is a legend in this state, and he earned that as much for how he shows up off the field as for what he did on it,”  Dell Base Power CEO and co-founder Zach Dell says in a statement. “He spent a full day with us asking every hard question he could think of. And then he switched to Base himself. We’re glad to have him partnering with us.”

Like the Republican campaign slogan of 1928 “A chicken in every pot” so Dell and his investors (raising $2.5 billion to date) would like to see a Base Power battery in every home. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company has already installed 23,000 batteries across Texas and in the Chicago area and plans ultimately for international expansion.

The latest model, about the size of an air conditioning condenser, can provide backup power for 36 hours.

“I like companies that solve real problems, and Base is lowering power bills, protecting families, and building the whole thing themselves right here in Texas,” Watt says in the statement.  “What impressed me wasn’t just how fast they’ve grown. It’s that they’ve already saved Texans millions on their power bills and kept thousands of homes running when the lights went out.

“That’s why I invested.”