Creator of Emergency Power Source Electrifies the Bull Ring
Tim Attewell, a 37-year-old engineering management graduate student and former Hollywood producer, took the grand prize at CSUN’s 2025 Jeff Marine Bull Ring New Venture Competition for his startup “CoVolta.” His invention places small batteries behind home refrigerators to store power for emergencies and automatically switch major appliances to battery power during peak grid demand hours.
The idea struck Attewell while monitoring California’s power grid app and watching demand spike as solar energy declined each evening. His background includes production credits on “This is 40” and “The Hangover Part III,” plus field producing work on Discovery Channel’s “Yukon Men” in remote Alaska. Attewell also won the Audience Choice Award for an additional $2,500, bringing his total winnings to $12,500, which he plans to use for manufacturing a battery prototype.
Read about all the winners from CSUN’s 10th annual “Shark Tank”-style competition at the link below.