It is a common fact that our generation is always dependent on our phones. From finding our way in a new city to booking movie tickets and getting our food delivered to our doorsteps, the smartphones have made our lives a lot easier.
As wise men say, everything has a flip side to it too. With the innumerable number of apps that we use on our phones, they often get discharged very fast and this becomes a reason for us to panic.
But cheer up readers, there is a solution to this common problem as well.
About the startup
PowerSquare, a Bengaluru-based bootstrapped hardware startup is aiming to make wireless charging popular in India with a set of wireless chargers, which they are planning to market in the country, reports THE WEEK.
PowerSquare was founded by Pavan Pudipeddi, Anand Katragadda, and Naveen Chava.
The company feels that charging with wires is cumbersome and causes dependency on the charger. It is also restrictive in nature as it requires the user to be near the device.
PowerSquare intends to charge any device without wires, anytime and anywhere. The company adds that soon all kinds of phones can be charged using its wireless technology, irrespective of the type of phones or chargers.
How does it work?
There are three key places where a consumer charges their device – at home; while traveling and at work. PowerSquare is focusing on bringing wireless charging solutions to all three sectors – B2C (Business to Consumer), automotive and infrastructure.
“Our direct customer offerings will primarily focus on wireless charging products that target charging at home and on the go. Our automotive solutions will offer ‘Made-in-India’ solution for in-car wireless charging that will target the automotive manufacturers and in the infrastructure sector, we are aiming to integrate this technology in café’s, large offices, airport lounges, hotels and also offer the underlying technology behind smart homes, smart offices, and smart mobility systems,”
explained the CEO of PowerSquare, Pudipeddi.
The R&D lab for PowerSquare is in Bengaluru and the manufacturing would take place in China. The company is ready with its wireless charging products and is planning to launch the product in the USA first because it is a larger and more evolved market.
The products will hit the Indian market soon after.
“Our strategy in India will not be just about selling products through e-commerce or retail stores like other brands but providing a good user experience. We want to ensure that the consumers understand the technology and experience the convenience of using wireless charging in their life,”
remarked Pudipeddi.
The company is also talking to many global automobile manufacturers who have a presence in India to bring this technology to the automotive sector. At the same time, the company is also planning to bring its product to public places such as cafes, restaurants, and offices in India. This is going to be hugely beneficial for the consumers.
The CEO’s vision
While the United States is still one of the largest markets for the wireless charging technology, India and China are not far behind
Pavan Pudipeddi believes that there is a lot of potential in this arena. The global wireless power market is expected to be $28 billion by 2022 and the rising youth population and the growing demand for smartphones prove his point. The number of smartphone users is to increase to 500 million in India this year.
Pudipeddi said,
“We expect that 10 percent of these smartphones will be compatible with wireless charging in the next 18-24 months. Major handset manufacturers will soon start offering wireless charging across their phone models. This will help the technology reach the masses and give them the opportunity to enjoy the convenience of wireless charging at varied price points.”
While in the USA, Pudipeddi had developed technologies in power management, battery management, system design and product development for various companies including Texas Instruments in the US. He was one of the founding members of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), a multinational technology consortium that was formed to create and promote wide market adoption of the Qi standard, used for wireless charging in many products.
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