Our recent Nasdaq debut inspired a period of reflection and appreciation for how far we’ve come as a company and as a team. When Xos started back in 2016, we worked out of a small, 100-square-foot warehouse in North Hollywood — staying true to the startup tradition of scrappy, unpretentious beginnings. The space was originally home to a small electronics company founded in the 70s by the grandfather of CEO and Co-Founder, Dakota Semler.
After spreading out to keep up with company growth and eventually occupying the majority of the 20,000-square-foot NoHo building, we moved into our newest HQ in Atwater Village, which offers 85,000 square feet of breathing room. We’ve utilized this new space to grow our staff, build a state-of-the-art battery production line, and manufacture new vehicle prototypes.
Now that we’re public, we’re pausing to celebrate. The bell-ringing ceremony at Nasdaq MarketSite is an opportunity to highlight Xos and recognize our team’s incredible achievements in front of a global audience.
CEO, Chairman, and Co-Founder of Xos, Inc, Dakota Semler, shared some memories from the company’s history and his hopes for the future in a short Q&A below.
1. How has your first-hand experience of the fleet industry shaped your decisions and mission at Xos?
“Our experience in the industry helped us to find strategies for engineering, manufacturing, distribution, and support for our end users. We know how challenging it can be to keep up with new emissions regulations, new technologies, and demanding customers in the logistics world.”
2. When you started the company, did you think it would grow to this point?
“We were looking forward to supporting customers and wanted to find the best way to do it. Well, we did not anticipate going public in such a short span of time, but we think it’s the best move for our customers, our partners, and our employees.”
3. What is your proudest moment at Xos so far?
“There are so many different proud moments that I have had since starting the company. But all of them circle back to our team and the amazing accomplishments they’ve been able to achieve over the past five years.”
4. What do you think is the company’s greatest strength?
“Our focus on fleet customers and our ultimate drive to make the switch to electric for a compelling return on investment is a key strategic differentiator and one of our greatest strengths.”
5. What are you most looking forward to in the future?
“I’m looking forward to continuing to grow our team and helping more fleets transition from diesel to electric.”
6. Do you have a favorite or memorable moment from Xos history you’d like to share?
“There are numerous memorable moments in our history that I’d love to share. One of the first that comes to mind is getting our first vehicle prototype running back in 2017. It happened in the early hours of the morning and was an incredible effort from our small but mighty team at the time.
This prototype was an important proof point for the company and a way for us to announce our presence and commitment to bringing practical EV solutions to the commercial space.”
Xos is honored to be able to ring the closing bell at Nasdaq and we hope it’s just one of many milestones we hit as we grow and mature as a public company. Today is a day of celebration and joy but tomorrow, we get right back to it.
You can watch a replay of the Nasdaq closing-bell ceremony on our YouTube channel below!