By Declan Varley, Galway Advertiser
Two Loughrea entrepreneurs have come up with a device that will put an end to the terror of having your phone run out of power at the most inopportune time.
Chargys are single use, disposable (recyclable ) phone chargers. Allowing consumers to purchase a quick boost anywhere they may be. Soft launched in Galway this week, presales have exceeded 1000 units in the first four days.
Created by two young Galway entrepreneurs, Jonathan Madden (27 ) and Bryan Larkin (26 ). The idea was formed when Bryan leaving for a night out was told by his mum to call if he needed to be collected. Bryan needed to be collected.
His phone was dead and being rural Galway it ended up being a very long walk home. Chargys is the AA for phone batteries, be it just before you get on a bus, a plane, or at a concert. Chargys will give you the boost you need to stay connected.
A study conducted by the Chargys team in pubs in county Galway found only one in 10 people had more than 30 per cent battery life after 11pm. Most had 10 per cent or less, making it incredibly difficult to keep in contact with babysitters, contact friends or simply call taxis to get home.
These are the necessities; think of the viral video you just “have” to show your friend. When in a bar and your battery is low, you have limited options, some bars offer charging points but these require expense and extra work from the bar, some may charge your phone behind the counter which could then get broken, who is responsible?.
The vast majority of the bars spoken to, didn’t have charging points and simply refused to charge phones behind the bar after a certain time, leaving consumers with no options. Chargys solves the issue. It also has the added benefit of generating more revenue for the bar.
Jonathan Madden told the Advertiser that they have 15 bars, a barber and a local shop signed up after 10 days of presales and that number is increasing every day.
“Our video on facebook has been actually viewed 3300 times in less than a week. I made the video at home and I also built the website. The feedback we are getting is amazing — 75% of people love it but the other 25% hate it. We understand if you don’t see the point but that view is generally categorised by age.
“Mobile phones are just like one of our best friends, they know everything about us. Since we are so invested in them we feel its only normal to feel detached when they are not there and Chargys helps with that when there is no other options.
We are currently in talks with one of the largest and most well known bars/nightclubs in Ireland, despite not having visited or targeted Dublin yet.
Bryan and myself have always wanted our own business, we knew that. We met thru music, playing in a band together for several years in our late teens with the late Tony Rice of the band Big Generator, who actually introduced us. When college and life sent us all in different directions the band fizzled out but the friendships remained.
“Over the last year Bryan and I have spent have spent countless nights thinking and talking about new concepts and creating plans only to find the flaws. Every way we looked at it Chargys however it had no flaws. So we anxiously dug our heals in and said we have to do it.
“We have been receiving some great help from our friends and family, everyone has their own skill so we are reaching out to those that can help on specific items,who gave us real industry feedback and helped us get it right first time. We really feel this should be a technique used by everyone. Too many people are afraid to ask for help especially Irish people.
Bryan studied at the college of life, while I studied music technology up to masters level, Bryan was actually making money. Which thankfully now gives us two very complimentary views, visions and makes us a great team,” he concluded.
How does it work?
All you need to do is remove the Chargy from the sealed packaging, pull the power saver tab in the top right hand corner then insert it into your phone. (Chargy secret- the power saver tab keeps the Chargy fresh and ready for when you need it ).
What phone can I use a Chargy on?
The short answer, almost all phones available today! This includes iPhones with the lightning connector i.e the iPhone 5 and all newer models. All Android phones can be charged. Interestingly Chargys can also work on some E-Cigarettes using the android charging point
How do I know what Chargy to buy?
They have two types of Chargy easy to tell apart due to there striking colours. Red for iPhone and green for android. Check our home page here, to see two example packs.
How much charge do I get?
All smart phones have different sized batteries. Depending on what smartphone you have, you can get anywhere from 20% to 50% battery life. Enough to get you where your going.
How long should I leave the Chargy plugged in for?
When the Chargy has not changed the percentage battery life on your phone for more than ten minutes. Its time to remove and recycle.
What do I do with it once it’s done its job?
Recyle! Simply hand it back to the retail store you purchased it from or drop it into any suitable recycling bin.
OMG you guys are geniuses, how did you come up with such an amazing idea?
The team at Chargys had been working on the project for almost a year before the launch.
It started with a “simple” idea and quickly snowballed into months of testing and research followed by several more months of testing and research. Finally, with a few weeks of pain, regret and sleepless nights we arrived here, ready and willing to provide you with just a little bit more.
