We've all been there: Our cell phone is in desperate need of charging, but no outlet is available.
This is where Memphis-based Smart Charge has stepped in to keep people connected throughout the Bluff City.
The startup's cofounders, Kristy Craig and Nahja Clayton, established the firm and its on-the-go-charging solution about a year ago.
“We provide portable chargers for hand-held devices,” Craig said. “Customers can rent a Smart Charger for just $2 an hour, and when they are finished, they return it to the nearest station.”
Smart Charge currently has about 33 locations around the city, including at Crosstown Concourse, Grind City Brewing, AutoZone Park, Esporta Fitness gyms, Bayou Grill, and Noir Rose Salon.
Before cofounding Smart Charge, Craig spent much of her professional life in the pharmaceutical industry, holding positions on the retail and sales side at companies such as CVS Pharmacy and US Bioservices.
Craig was living and working in Guangzhou, China, where she met Clayton; they both decided to return to Memphis and become entrepreneurs. Smart Charge went live in January 2022. That launch time frame came with challenges.
With some hesitation toward large gatherings persisting due to COVID-19, Craig acknowledged that factor has impacted the success of Smart Charge. While the startup has yet to be profitable, it has seen a consistent growth in users and orders.
“Since January, we currently have 750 users in the city of Memphis,” Craig said.
In August, Smart Charge was one of over 40 local Black-owned businesses that attended the “Capital Conversation” after-hours event hosted by the Black Business Association of Memphis and Bank of America. Mentoring sessions were held on growth and connecting with available, yet underutilized, resources.
Jessica Taveau, president and CEO of Epicenter — an organization that supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Mid-South — shared with business owners at the event details on the organization's Friends and Family Fund for disadvantage business owners.
“One thing that stands out often is access to capital,” she said. “Minority businesses already are disadvantaged. However, a minority, woman-owned business gets it the worst. They have to work four times as hard just to prove they are capable of running a business, as if giving birth to a whole human isn’t enough proof.”
Smart Charge is hoping to win a pitch competition next month to receive funding for more inventory. Currently, Smart Charge consists of only the firm's cofounders, but the startup is planning to implement an internship program for college marketing students in the spring.
Overall, Craig feels good about the future of the business in the Bluff City.
“The support in Memphis has been amazing, and I’m happy we decided to start here,” she said.
