Finsix's revolutionary power tech could finally make our laptop chargers smaller

LAS VEGAS — Even though our laptops have become thinner and lighter, the lowly power adapter remains surprisingly bulky. Finsix’s tech could change that.

The startup has created a 65-watt laptop charger that’s about a third of the size of today’s devices. It also includes two USB charging inputs, which are powerful enough to juice up tablets.

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Finsix demonstrated its technology at Eureka Park, the startup portion of the influential International CES tradeshow, and it was clearly a step ahead of most other startups there.

Finsix’s technology relies on new power-conversion techniques to cycle power up to 1,000 times faster than existing adapters, said Jim Kardach, the company’s director of technology integration, in a brief chat.

Finsix CTO and cofounder Anthony Sagneri spent years developing the technology at MIT, and it’s now almost ready to hit the market. The company plans to launch a Kickstarter for its adapters in March, with an eventual retail price of about $90. The company is also working to develop a MagSafe version of its adapters for Apple’s laptops.

After coming across plenty of companies at CES that clearly aren’t going anywhere, Finsix’s technology was a bit of a revelation. With years of research behind it and tech that leapfrogs traditional computer makers, it shows us that even tiny startups have the potential to leave a big mark on established industries.

Finsix is based in Menlo Park, California and has raised $5 million so far from Arunas Chesonis, Venrock and other angel investors.