This Startup Helps You Keep a Cool Head while Commuting on the Indian Road After generating a whopping $1.4 million dollars from its Series A funding, BluArmor is concentrating on product development and geographical expansions
By Madhurima Roy •
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Every novel business idea needs a pat in the back. But before an entrepreneur considers the promotion and execution of the idea, the very first thing and one of the most significant assessments that the individual has to do is to consider if its product or service is compatible with the market. A peep into the market made BluArmor's founder Sundararajan Krishnan realize that two-wheelers market in India, which is one of the most dominant markets in the world, has riders spending hours on the roads commuting from one point to the other in extreme pollution. And considering the excessively hot weather with varying levels of humidity, wearing a helmet becomes a hard nut to crack.
The meaning of a helmet has always been restricted only to protection. But BluArmor with its cooling helmets has revamped the whole concept. The uniqueness of the idea in arms with market compatibility has earned $1.4 million from its Series A funding.
Under the name of BluArmor, Bangalore based startup AptEner Mechatronics has introduced helmets that are in perfect sync with the weather in India. The idea has got so well-connected with the country and few others outside the Indian soil since its inception two years back. Founder Sundararajan Krishnan shares what the company is working on as they have recently generated such a significant amount of funding and what are the things lining up to be on the cards of BluArmor.
Expectation from Domestic Market
Although India is one of the strongest bike markets around the globe, is not usually an early adopter of new product categories. And as Krishnan views, "The way I see it, in the short term, we will see a lot of our business is international (South East Asia and South/Central America are the most promising markets in the immediate short term) but in 4-5 years time, will be equally split between India and the foreign markets."
Employing the fund
Being true to their motto of "Build in India, Make for the World", BluSnap – a product unique to the company has now been successfully sold in over 10 countries spread over 4 continents. Earning the $1.4 million funds has further helped the advanced helmet manufacturer to not only concentrate on product development but also to spread its wings in PAN India and over the seas. "We are looking at market outreach both domestic and international. We expect over 70per cent of our business to be international and these funds will allow us to make the right investments to nurture the different regions," he states.
Other than the fact that the Series A funding has financially boosted the company in various aspects, the funding has also brought the company more in focus.
Among the various positive turn of events, a significant aspect that BluArmor has seen after the fund generation is its story-telling app, BluRydr. According to Krishnan, "BluRydr is getting good traction, and we continue to enhance its capabilities as a platform for storytellers specifically in the context of trail riding."
Apart from focusing on the growth of the existing products, the company is eyeing national & international expansions. Quite soon the company will be adding a whole new range of hands-free, and voice-based experiences for riders. "Between these features, and improving the aesthetics, weight and performance of our core technology, we are going to have our hands full for the next 18-24 months," he concludes.
