Stealth superstars

Mission Motors expects to have its Mission One motorcycle on the streets in 2011. Photo by Stacey Miller

In early 2010, after eight years in stealth mode, fuel cell maker Bloom Energy burst into the public eye via a spot on 60 Minutes. Following his interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, Bloom Energy CEO K.R. Sridhar hosted a launch event attended by a coterie of business and political bigwigs that sparked a media frenzy.

Whether Bloom can deliver on the hype surrounding its launch remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: When the curtain lifted on the Sunnyvale, Calif.–based company, it was one of the biggest events of its kind ever to hit the cleantech market.

Of course, with $400 million in funding, an almost too-good-to-be-true technology and numerous high-profile backers and customers, including Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY), FedEx (NYSE: FDX) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Bloom set itself up for a killer coming out party. Not many startups can—or should—hope for similar success.
While some say operating in stealth may actually paralyze a young company by cutting it off from valuable contacts and feedback from potential customers, others, including companies that have recently emerged from stealth, say working away from the public eye is essential to refining a product and cultivating a brand image. Either way, important considerations exist for young companies trying to flourish in the dark.