SUMMARY
The funding was led by venture capital firms Inventus India and KITVEN
The startup creates a range of motorcycle gear under the banner ‘BluArmor’
Its first product, a wearable cooler helmet strap, is available across 12 countries
Biker gear maker AptEner Mechatronics, a Bengaluru startup that has designed a wearable cooler which can be retrofit onto helmets for bikers, has raised $1.4 Mn (INR 10 Cr) Series A funding led by venture capital firms Inventus India and KITVEN. The company plans on utilising the funds to launch its products in the market, and also expand across geographies.
The two-year-old startup creates a range of motorcycle gear under the brand name ‘BluArmor,’ aimed at providing comfort and safety to the two-wheeler riders. it wants to become a one-stop bike accessory brand that encompasses all biking needs, with features such as air-conditioning climatic control retrofit for helmets having Bluetooth connectivity, improved vision system.
It has launched its first product, a wearable cooler, named BluSnap, that fits on an existing full-face motorcycle helmet, blocks dust, cools the insides of the helmet by up to 15 degrees, and is fitted with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
The startup has filed for the patents for BluSnap in India, the US, and under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, an international patent law treaty which gives protection to the technology in over 100 countries.
The startup claims to have sold about 5,000 units of the first generation BluSnap, priced at INR 2,299 in India as well as countries such as South America, Paraguay, Indonesia, Colombia, Chile, the US, Mexico, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.
The second generation of this unit — with upgraded features in terms of weight, size and performance — is expected to hit the Indian market in the next four weeks.
The IoT and Hardware startup, AptEner Mechatronics sells its products through its online website. In India, they have partnered with helmet manufacturer Vega, as a master reseller and also lists its products on Amazon and Flipkart. For the international market, they sell their products through distributors.
“We have an aggressive roadmap in terms of the accessories we want to build for the two-wheeler riders. Part of the funding is going to go towards the roadmap development, and part of it for marketing the generation two and other accessories, and also for international expansion,” AptEner Mechatronics founder PK Sundararajan told Inc42.
