Hahaha. I must be D'Couto because anyone that does HAS to be.
I will not be one to assume how much input D'Couto has or doesnt have in the developement of the battery. I go by what his bio says and the fact we have electronic communications, airplanes, and companies have numerous locations. While it might be manufactured at the labs, which seems to make the most sense; engineering or other details can happen at other locations. Using logic, not speaking for the company.
I see no ownership reference or mention of OIT on Polaris Labs site. Where did you find this info? Just because a grad/student/professor works at/started a business doesnt mean that somesuch college owns them.
I also take issue with people's slants of, "well they never sold a ...(battery/fuel cell/etc)"
Companies wanting to purchase products from other companies, i can imagine, are not always a simple yes/no. Especially, with products that are unfamiliar. Sure, you can ask questions, generalities. "What voltage can expect to get out of this product here", etc. But, say they want something on the leading-edge or still being designed or needed extensive testing? They most likely wont buy any significant orders, or any at all until there is more concrete info. "Well, we need a battery that can work for at minimum 1 hour in ten below zero, can you do that?" "Well, so far we've tested to freezing but our theories say we should be able to go to..." well, we are definitely interested in your batteries: fast charging, great capacity, but we need more tested info"
Again, not speaking for any companies. Stating how generally a conversation could go. It would be stupid for companies to spend on products they know little about. Equivalent to the casino i work for buying , say, 3000 games just to buy games. Not knowing whether players will like the theme, where they should put them or how much the base payout is, only that "they get money"