Blowing Past Its Kickstarter Goal, SnapPower Turns Your Outlet Into a USB Charger With no electrical skills needed, a simple solution to an annoying problem scores big with backers on the crowdfunding platform.
By Laura Entis
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It's a real problem, even if it's the ultimate first-world one: Too many gadgets. Smartphones, tablets and other devices all have to compete for outlet space, which means that often, something gets left uncharged.
Thankfully, a new Kickstarter campaign offers an elegant solution to this dreaded problem: The SnapPower Charger cover plate transforms any outlet into a USB charging station.
While similar products are already available, what's genius about the SnapPower Charger is its ease of use. Installation simply requires replacing the old wall plate with the SnapPower Charger -- no messing with wires required. (The USB port draws power from the screws on the side of the outlet.) The cover plate will charge most standard electronics, although because it offers 1-amp charging, it may take longer than usual to juice up larger electronics such as a tablet.
Related: This Night Light Inventor Raised a Quarter Million Dollars on Kickstarter
Clearly, the product struck a nerve. It blew past its $35,000 goal in just an hour, and at time of publication had solicited more than $365,000 in pledges from more than 8,800 backers with 43 days left to go.
The SnapPower Charger is the second wildly successful Kickstarter campaign from creator Jeremy Smith. Last March the Provo, Utah-based entrepreneur raised nearly half a million dollars on the platform for the SnapRays Guidelight, an electrical outlet cover with an LED (light emitting diode) bulb built into the base of the outlet cover.
"Last year you helped us bring the award winning SnapRays Guidelight to market. Since then, we've been working hard to apply the same technology to the USB charger," he explains in SnapPower Charger Kickstarter video. "It's the first ever USB charger build right into an outlet and you can use it to charge all your USB devices."
For $14 Kickstarter backer receives a single SnapPower Charger, although it's looking like that category may sell out on the platform.
Check out the SnapPower video below.
