Quick Read
- While many US companies are reshoring manufacturing in the wake of the Trump Administration’s pro-business policies and reciprocal tariffs to level the playing field, some entrepreneurs are creating new businesses to fill the supply chain gaps.
- New US companies that can strategically co-opt major customers of a Chinese company that can no longer afford to compete in the American market have built-in sales and cashflow that can take most startups years to develop.
- Norfolk, VA based Mutant Inc. is one such company, and is already expanding based on pending orders from customers like Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) into a larger platform poised for a 2027 IPO.
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Norfolk, Virginia based Mutant Inc. are stepping up their game to fill the new supply chain void created by tariffs. With departing Chinese suppliers no longer able to compete due to the reciprocal tariffs, Mutant Inc. is taking over supplying batteries and other energy solutions for clients old and new, which may include such entities as Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK), international telecom companies, major utilities, and others.
President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs have changed the supply chain landscape for many products that were routinely imported but are now too expensive due to the tariffs. This is causing major US companies from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to General Electric (NYSE: GE) to ramp up reshoring manufacturing operations back on to US soil.
Mutant Inc. History
The trade war dispute between the US and China has resulted in tariffs against imported Chinese products that created a unique opportunity for Mutant Inc.
For over 30 years, Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer Jiangsu Highstar had been supplying batteries to a range of major firms in the appliance, telecommunications, electrical utility, transportation, and other industrial sectors. The trade conflicts between the US and China during President Trump’s first term in office started the alarm bells. Highstar saw the handwriting on the wall, as the inevitability of a second Trump presidency and the imposition of tariffs against China threatened to make continued US battery sales unprofitable – it was facing over -$50 million in annual losses. However, dozens of long-term, multi-billion dollar clients would be left in the lurch with a supply chain void – many located in the US – upon Highstar’s departure.
Sensing an opportunity, Mutant Inc. was created by CEO Richard S. Marten, COO Craig Hutchison, and CTO Dr. Lei Chen to be a turnkey “made in USA” solution. Bringing cumulative legal, military, technology, logistics, and management skills honed over several decades, Mutant Inc. boldly arranged a licensing agreement where it would take over sales to those Highstar client businesses.
Inherited and Cultivated Clients
Mutant Inc. battery products range from those for handheld tools and devices to room sized units designed for electric power plant utilities.
A 48,000 SF automated manufacturing plant in Norfolk, Virginia is currently gearing up to commence activation of Mutant’s assembly lines in early 2026 while the company continues to onboard the various Highstar clients. Although some of these clients cannot be named explicitly, as those revolving purchase orders are still in migration, among the client end users are power tool company Stanley Black & Decker, a major telecom firm using celebrities from Guardians of the Galaxy in its recent TV ads, and other large firms, both publicly traded and privately owned.
Estimated at $30 million – $50 million in annual revenues, these ex-Highstar clients comprise a solid revenue stream and cashflow for Mutant, upon which it is in separate negotiations to expand its own proprietary client base in three sectors: telecommunications power systems, utility-scale energy storage, and replacement of lead acid batteries for fleets.
Current negotiations with the battery provider for the aforementioned telecom company’s largest competitor in Japan are expected to constitute as much as 70,000 annual battery units on a 10-year contract.
Mutant has received a Letter of Intent for up to twenty-two (22) 5-MWh Megapack installations in New York City (valued at $70 million) to provide clean, grid-stabilizing power to urban centers as U.S. cities transition to renewable energy sources. The designated end user in this project is Con Edison (NYSE: ED). Additional future locations include: Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, South Carolina, California and New Brunswick (Canada).
Lastly, a contractor providing telecom units to the US Navy under US Department of War purview is working with Mutant to produce renewable microgrids and mobile batteries for defense contractors, logistics fleets, and municipalities.
Technical Efficiencies and Cost-Cutting
Mutant Inc. offers a wide range of battery products, all made in the USA at its Norfolk, VA factory.
Acknowledging that keeping prices attractive are the keys to keeping Highstar clients and winning new ones, Mutant is taking proactive steps.
- Mutant is advancing proprietary 3D printing processes for lithium-ion components.
- PrimeStar Technologies, a sister company, will license key battery component technology to Mutant for cell production.
- Separately, Mutant is currently also in negotiation with a German company to license Solid-State technology for North America.
Current Financing With An IPO Exit Strategy
Mutant Inc is technically a startup company, albeit a startup with a projected $30-50 million in initial 2026 revenues, putting it on track for a 2027 IPO.
The company has already raised several million dollars through a Regulation D private placement. A forthcoming Reg CF offering, managed by the investment banking firm Dealmaker, will be priced at $10 per share and is expected to launch in late-2025, pending SEC qualification.
The company projects an eventual 2027 IPO, with investment bankers estimating a potential share value of $30 at public offering.
Taking the lessons from Lord of War seriously, Mutant Inc. satisfies the following criteria for success:
- An identified market with strong demand and ready, willing, and able customers;
- Domestically made products using the latest technologies;
- Sales and Marketing
For investors, Mutant Inc. avoids the pitfalls of over 90% of new companies with:
- Strong revenue (estimated $30-50 million for 2026) and cashflow from its inherited Highstar customers;
- A solid and experienced management team that is already implementing greater cost efficiencies while pursuing additional sales and large, long-term projects;
By merging operational excellence with a clear strategic mandate—to make high-quality lithium-ion batteries in America for America—Mutant Inc. stands as an early exemplar of how policy, innovation, and private enterprise can converge to rebuild critical manufacturing infrastructure.
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