Convenient charger

Being technophiles who always wanted to work together, the co-founders of Xyra — Arzan Irani, Armaan Gandhi, and Sahej Sethi — were on a conference call on their smartphones when one of the phones went dead and another was on low battery. This prompted them to explore business ideas in the portable chargers segment. Their intensive research in the main target market, aged between 16 and 34 years, revealed that not only do smartphone users need an on-the-go battery, but they also need other accessories/gadgets on a daily basis. Thus was conceived their XS powercard portable charger, "based on the cornerstones of portability, convenience and elegance,” designed in USA and manufactured in India.
The device that fits in the credit card slot of a wallet has a 2200 mAH battery capacity and is equipped with an 8/16/32 GB detachable flash drive to facilitate easy data storage as well as sharing. With its built-in cables and single port charging, the XS powercard eliminates the need to carry different gadgets/accessories. The cables embedded into the device facilitate data transfer/ sync between one’s smartphone and PC. The charging of the smartphone can be either fast (less efficient) or at standard charging rate (more efficient). It also has a tri-colored LED indicator that shows the battery status of the XS powercard. The single port smart charging facility ensures that when connected to a power source, the device first charges the smartphone to 100% and thereafter starts charging itself to 100%.

Currently Xyra is offering the XS powercard with a 10% discount solely on their website "on pre-order” terms such that the customer pays in advance and is assured delivery the following month. The discounted rates are $ 44.99 or Rs 2,699 for an 8GB, $ 53.99 or Rs 3,239 for 16GB, and $ 62.99 or Rs 3,779 for 32GB XS powercards that are compatible with Micro USB (for android, blackberry, windows) as also iPhone Lightning Connector (for iPhone5/5S/5C/6/6plus) versions.
Fortunately the three youngsters "possessed the skills and education that complemented each other.” In response to Parsiana’s queries they clarified that 24-year-old Irani studied aerospace engineering and computer science, Gandhi, aged 22, has studied and worked in the finance, management and entrepreneurship sector, and Sethi, also 22 had qualified in marketing and sales. "They each handle the major responsibilities listed above, but are all general factotums at this stage… They have built the company in such a way that a lot of their tasks are interchangeable. This way everyone is kept in the loop and decisions are made accordingly.” Since they function as one compact unit, even the responses from them come in the name of "Team Xyra” instead of any one individual.

"As with most startups, funding is crucial to Xyra” they had stated on the Indiegogo website where their crowdfunding project was being promoted. They were able to raise 77% or $ 38,483 of targeted amount of $ 50,000 (Rs 30,50,000) during the two-month campaign from April to June. The team had previously declared, "We need $ 50,000 to meet our fixed costs, hire efficient workers and place a minimum order quantity to reduce per unit costs.” The trio mentioned to Parsiana, "While our crowdfunding campaign provided us a substantial amount of capital, the nascency of crowd funding in India prohibited us from reaching our goal. It was then that the partners decided to borrow equal amounts from family to help meet their surplus expenditures.” Gandhi’s parents Niharika and Anup, and Sethi’s parents Anureet and Harmeet had known each other long before the birth of their sons. Irani, son of Vinaz and Cyrus, was introduced to the two other buddies in 2008 and "hit it off.” Passionate about creativity and design, Irani believes any entrepreneur can succeed if you save the customers’ money, time and effort. Maintains Gandhi, "One shouldn’t strive for success; strive for excellence and success will follow.”
According to Team Xyra, "Entrepreneurship provides a great experience for any individual... It is an idea that must be constantly nurtured and facilitated in the Zoroastrian community; an effort promisingly executed by the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce.”