EcoBox, producer of UV sterilizers for smart phones has raised RUR 5 mio ($70K) in investment from business angels.
The raised funds will be spent on manufacturing new models of sterilizers and brand promotion. The new-generation EcoBox will go on sale in early September.
The company plans to invest the major part of the money in production. New sterilizing boxes will be twice as powerful as the previous models and will be able to clean items within minutes.
“We have already launched production of devices with more powerful UV lamps that provides for shorter disinfection time. Now it takes 10 minutes to completely clean bacteria off a smart phone while brief disinfection only takes 5 minutes. We also updated the design. The boxes will be available in opaque black and white,” EcoBox founder Vladimir Sadkov said.
He added that the company plans to actively target the b2b market and, specifically, attract partners from the beauty industry (beauty and hairdressing salons) and restaurant businesses as well as from among office-based companies.
The new sterilizing boxes will go on sale in early September and will cost the same as the first generation. The remaining part of the raised funding will be invested in brand development and visibility.
“Part of the investment will be used to support digital marketing and advertising. EcoBox will also get an ambassador soon. But I will keep you in the dark for now,” Vladimir Sadkov said.
He also noted that the main factors that influenced investors’ decision included the company’s substantial customer base, good branding and high sales. Since its establishment in March and until now, the startup has sold 700 items, mostly in the b2c sector.