As an enthusiastic 2W rider, how often do you feel the need to have an assistive technology for navigation? And that too without taking frustrating halts or compromising your control over the bike? Undoubtedly your answer would be ALWAYS. A startup, by the name Wryde, is coming up with a smart helmet with built-in Heads-Up Display technology to empower Hassle Free Navigation. This startup is one of its kind which aims to pioneer the era of smart commuting in India and revolutionize our riding experience. Wryde is in its initial setup phase, with a small team working day-in-day-out to develop the product and bring it to us. Wryde has been shortlisted among the top 38 most innovative product based startups in India in an on-going event organized by Catapooolt. Currently all 38 startups are competing among themselves in the penultimate round of the event to raise crowdfunds. 15 startups who will raise the maximum fund by the end of June will get an opportunity to pitch their ideas in front of the investors. Being one of the very few product based startups in India and the current leader of the on-going Crowdfunding round, Wryde caught our eyes. Here, we bring you some exclusive insight about what Wryde is all about.
As informed by one of the founder, Wryde has a vision to make 2-Wheeler riding more and more convenient and safer by incorporating smart technologies in the riding accessories. Currently they are developing a smart helmet which will allow the rider to navigate, make/receive calls, and access notifications with see-through display directly on the helmet visor. You’d surely have seen the Iron Man, with his super-tech mounted display helmet; Wryde claims to bring you one for real in the near future. The reason why it all began is, as quoted by the founder “With the increased penetration of Internet connectivity in India, the use of GPS navigation service has become very prominent. It is not only used to navigate through unknown routes, but also to estimate the travel time and choose the best route adapting to the live traffic information. As an enthusiast 2W rider and an avid user of GPS service, I found it very difficult, and at times life threatening to refer to mobile while riding. Hence I, along with my friends, started working on how to solve this problem”.
With this in mind, a genuine query arises- will an on-visor display not distract the rider? As per the technical team of the Wryde- “The imaging technology used will generate a virtual image which will always be in focus irrespective of whether the rider is looking at far off objects or at any nearby object. In this way rider can always stay focused on the road and at the same time view the displayed information without any stress on his eyes. This in-fact will be a better solution in terms of safety compared to cars, where the driver has to refer a mobile mounted either on a windshield or on a dashboard, by taking his eyes off the road”.
Setting up as a premium brand, Wryde is targeting a very niche market of medium/high-end bikes and superbikes in India. Riders owning such bikes are often associated with various riding clubs or groups. Hence they form the best audience for this innovative smart helmet, as it will aid them to commute and stay connected in their adventurous rides. This small faction of riders form a market size of around 14 lakhs p.a. out of the total 2W sales of 176 lakhs p.a. in India. Even when asked various times, Wryde didn’t disclose the cost of the product. They did drop few hints indicating that the targeted selling price would be less than 30k.
Unlike any service based startup, where majority of the work is related to partnership agreement and soft work, a product based startup also requires a lot of mechanical RnD, international sourcing, custom hardware developments, and facilities to prototype the product, which means a lot of initial capital to be put in. Wryde hopes to raise an amount of Rs 5 lakhs from their crowdfunding round and facilitate some of the above mentioned activities. In addition to this, if they are able to get onboard few angel investors by October 2018, then we can expect the India’s first smart helmet to be launched by early 2020.
We hope that the team Wryde succeeds in their endeavor to develop and bring this amazing product in the market and make the roads more safe, convenient and enjoyable for all 2W riders. We also wish them best of luck to qualify the crowdfunding round with flying colors. Readers can also show their support for Wryde by contributing in their crowdfunding campaign; and at the same time grab upon some exciting gifts. Visit the link- https://www.catapooolt.com/wryde
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