'Nothing easy is worthwhile doing': Many businesses defy the odds. Here are some examples.

Every innovative business — every innovative endeavor, for that matter — faces long odds, multiple obstacles and surprising challenges.

Two local companies, among many others, are showing that even with a proverbial waterlogged box of matches, it’s possible to spark progress — in these cases, within the world of domestic energy production.

Consider Form Energy CEO Mateo Jaramillo, who co-founded an energy storage startup with four others in 2017.

Form strives to provide a solution to the rising demand for reliable energy through an iron-air battery that cost-effectively stores energy for 100 hours at a time.

The battery, composed of iron, water and air, is manufactured at Form’s plant in Weirton, a location chosen for its interconnected location and “great labor pool,” Mr. Jaramillo sa