Continuing to enjoy its success with the crowdfunding method, Philadelphia startup, Spor, recently revealed it received $200,000 from angel investor, Francis Wisniewski.
This past summer, the startup became a huge hit on Kickstarter, and raised $112,408 through its 1,439 backers. Spor, which was found by Drexel University graduate Jason Browne, is described as a solar battery charger. It is a self-regenerating battery charger for USB devices. It can be charged by an outlet or passively via the sun. It also charges multiple devices at once, and may even charge cellphones practically as fast as a wall outlet.
Sharing their vision, the Spor team announced, “[Our goal is] to build this into an ecosystem (Spor, Cables, & Panels) to make energy more accessible and affordable for the global population. Empowering people through technological access. Powering more and more of our energy consumption off of distributed, clean energy networks. Taking a bite out of the fossil fuel grid one device user at a time.”
After its project closed on the crowdfunding giant’s platform, Spor’s team announced that it was in need of more funding and decided to turn to angel investors for help. According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, Wisniewski, who is also an Drexel alum, stated he was impressed by the product and the quality of the [Spor] team at such a young age.
Wisniewski, who is now a member of the Spor’s board, splits his work as a proprietary trade and investor between Las Vegas and Chicago. He has invested in various companies including Coöp Gym, Freebie, and Gramovox. Along with providing Spor with extra funds, Wisniewski stated he has introduced the young team to a China manufacturer who can help them prepare for the release of the product.
Director of distribution at Spor, Mark Donohue added that the addition $200,000 funds will be used for product development along with full product launch. It will also fulfill its pre-orders for both Kickstarter and Spor’s website.
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