Wireless charging firm Chargifi has raised £5 million in additional funding to accelerate its growth across the US and Asia.
The London-headquartered firm has built and patented an Internet of Things platform which can charge devices such as smartphones, electric vehicles and drones.
It helps clients including Grand Hyatt and Pret a Manger to transform the way they manage, monitor and monetise power and is establishing strategic partnerships with managed service providers and systems integrators around the world.
The investment was led by Accelerated Digital Ventures, with other investors including Hewlett Packard Enterprise and firstminute capital. The strategic investment from HPE includes a partnership to take Chargifi’s wireless power to HPE’s worldwide customers as part of its connectivity solutions.
According to Global Marketing Insights, the wireless charging market is set to be worth $25 billion by 2023.
“We are delighted to have secured this round of funding, giving us the firepower to scale our growth plans, as well as strategic value and partnerships from our investors,” said Chargifi co-founder and CEO Dan Bladen.
“At Chargifi we believe that the world is going electric and electric is going wireless – this is a monumental shift. As a society, we have never been more reliant upon power for our phones and vehicles than we are today.
“This year you will be able to charge your new car wirelessly, by pulling it up over a wireless charging area. In the future drones will land on buildings and charge wirelessly before taking off again.”
Bladen founded Chargifi with Charlie Cannell and Peter Wallace in 2013 after he and wife Jessica constantly ran out of power for their devices while travelling the world.
Also announced today is a strategic partnership with Losant, a fast-growing IoT platform. Losant, also a HPE partner, will now enable its global customer base to deploy Chargifi’s wireless power technology.
To support this strategic growth and maintain momentum globally, Chargifi expects to double its headcount over the next year.
Bladen added: “Chargifi is doing for power what WiFi did for connectivity: cutting the final cord and helping people get power when and where they need it.
“From phones to drones, Chargifi is building the foundational software platform that will enable this global evolution. From coffee shops to hotels, airports to campuses – In just a few short years from now wireless power will be as ubiquitous as WiFi.”