It’s the first-world problem that we’ve all had one time too many.
You didn’t bring your smartphone charger because it’s just that bit to long to fit comfortably in a pocket – and now you’re out of battery.
But popcord wants to solve that problem – and make you proud to carry your charger everywhere you go.
Sure size isn’t everything?
At 4 inches long it’s a tenth of the length of a standard iPhone 5 cable, and to some people that could make all the difference.
popcord’s selling-point revolves around the fact that it’s just small enough to carry on your keyring – but just big enough to still be practical for charging your phone.
On top of that, it looks rather good. Whether wearable tech will ever be more about fashion than function remains to be seen, but co-founder Frank Milani wants popcord to be something you’re proud to carry.
Our product is something people would love to bring with them because it looks great.
The embarrassment of untangling a lead from your headphones and chewing gum is replaced by the self-satisfaction of having nailed that particular area of your life.
Feel free to feel a little smug.
Three-pin plugs are so 2013
Perhaps the real groundbreaking step popcord is taking is not bothering to supply a plug adapter – instead you need to find a laptop or something else with a USB socket.
We spend most of our day near a USB port – a desktop, your laptop, your car. If you have your charger with you all the time you can easily top up without ever using a plug socket.
popcord aren’t the first to forego the three-pin plug, but Milani says other companies’ attempts to compress chargers have made them too inflexible.
Unlike popcord, they made it almost impossible to use the phone while it was charging – plus popcord’s design is a cut above, and it’s customisable.
That’s right – it’s available in four colours and you can even get your name engraved on the side.
Taking the lead
Frank and co-founder Matt Sandrini had been friends for years before they hit upon the idea of trying to take convenient chargers to a new level.
That was one year ago – they taught themselves the design and business elements required to get it off the ground, and by June they had their first prototype.
We’re still finding out where our biggest target market is, but we have manufacturers lined up in the UK and in Asia waiting for the word ‘go’.
A Masters student at City University, Frank won a prize in the first round of CitySpark, the university’s entrepreneur competition.
The plug
popcord’s kickstarter page launched this week and raised 25% of its £20,000 target in the first 24 hours.
At the time of writing it’s the most popular live Kickstarter project in the UK, and the 7th in the world.
So far the project has been funded by the founders’ savings, but the money crowdsourced will go towards production.
Backing £25 gets you a popcord – once they’ve been produced – and £50 bags you a gold-plated version for that extra bit of bling.