Doblet Raises $1.3M Seed Round to Charge Smartphones Any Place Consumers Go
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 07, 2015 -- Today Doblet announced it has raised a $1.3M seed round, led by SoftTech VC, to help consumers get rid of the need to carry a cable or external battery to charge their phones. Doblet is the world's first network of batteries on demand for charging any phone. Today, thousands of people already use doblets to charge their smartphones at over 100 San Francisco cafes, bars, and restaurants – soon, at over 1,000 Bay Area venues. The company is adding its doblets to 30 new venues per week.
Users simply install the Doblet iOS or Android mobile app to get instantly notified of the nearest Doblet-carrying locations, the moment their batteries start to run low. Unlike charging stations and lockers, Doblet users can still use their phones while charging. Doblet is also more convenient than buying an external battery case, which makes phones bulkier and heavier.
Battery Life is Consumers’ #1 Gripe
Smartphone users consistently rate battery life as their number one problem (see survey by Leapfrog Research, as one of many examples). Despite gradual advances in battery technology, mobile apps and operating systems' power usage continues to rise, outpacing any improvements in battery capacity. Over the past seven years, since the very first iPhone, the net battery life as measured by iPhone standby hours has remained flat (Huffington Post). In only four months of 2014, the 200 most popular apps’ power usage increased by an average of six percent (source: Carat, a UC Berkeley power tracking app).
The battery life problem is exacerbated as consumers increasingly watch videos, play games, listen to podcasts, allow multiple apps to track their location, use Bluetooth-enabled accessories and wearables, and keep dozens of apps open – all power draining activities. In addition, smartphone batteries tend to lose their charge more quickly as they age.
“Most people don’t like to carry charging cables, or enjoy remembering to keep their external batteries charged,” says Doktor Gurson, co-founder and CEO of Doblet. “Most venues don’t have phone battery chargers on hand. And electrical outlets are in limited supply and often difficult to find. Our vision is to have doblets on nearly every city block, so consumers will always have an easy way to charge their phones while they’re out and about.”
How Doblet Works, Expansion Plans
Users simply download the Doblet mobile app to their iOS or Android device to get instantly notified of the nearest Doblet location the moment their batteries start to run low. The first charge is free. After the first charge, consumers can pay $3 for unlimited charging over 24 hours or a $3 monthly subscription – also for unlimited charging. The monthly subscription can be more cost-effective and is definitely more convenient than buying an external battery case.
So far, Doblet has found that most users charge their phones for 15 – 20 minutes, enough to keep their phones running through the rest of the evening. The presence of doblets helps to increase venues’ monthly revenue as consumers spend money on food, drinks and other items -- before, during and after charging. Doblet provides all hardware free of charge to venues and alleviates many venue owners’ prior worries about being held liable for handling consumers’ phones.
There are over 3,500 potential Doblet venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, of which a third have already signed up, and nearly 2 million potential Doblet venues in cities across the country (e.g., cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels, stadiums, airports, Uber and Lyft cars, and more). Doblet estimates a U.S. market size of $16 billion annually – it plans to expand next to New York, Chicago, Boston, Miami and Toronto.
About Doblet
Doblet is the world’s first network of batteries on demand for charging phones everywhere. The company’s mission is to provide portable power anywhere consumers happen to be. Using patent-pending technology and the Doblet mobile app on iOS or Android devices, users are instantly notified of the nearest place to pick up a charge the moment their batteries start to run low. Consumers can charge their smartphones while on the go at over 100 San Francisco Bay Area cafes, bars, and restaurants – and soon at over 1,000 venues. Headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2014, Doblet’s investors include Y Combinator, SoftTech VC, The Orange Fund, and GMO VenturePartners. For more information, visit http://www.doblet.com.
Jeffrey Chang, Doblet Inc., +1 (917) 355-1555, [email protected]
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