When Phoenix-based FreePower appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in 2019, the company pitched its vision for a free-positioned wireless charging surface for smart devices.
On the show, FreePower — then known as Aira — struck a deal with entrepreneurs Kevin O’Leary, Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner for 15% equity in the company in exchange for $500,000.
Since then, FreePower has grown into a leading wireless technology company, holding more than 220 patent assets for its hardware, software and magnetics. The company has 20 employees and occupies an office at 2048 N. 44th St. in Phoenix.
FreePower raised millions of dollars in venture capital and formed business relationships with top brands in the consumer electronics, furniture and automotive industries. Partners include Tesla, which has FreePower’s technology in its wireless charging platform released earlier this year.
Now, FreePower is looking to gain a foothold in the hospitality and real estate markets with its new product, FreePower for Countertop, which turns any countertop into a wireless charging surface. The product has caught the attention of Scottsdale-based Taylor Morrison Home Corp., which is partnering to provide FreePower for Countertop as an option in the homebuilding giant's new builds.
“We're really excited about the Taylor Morrison partnership,” Jake Slatnick, co-founder and CEO of FreePower, said. “They're the fifth largest homebuilder in the U.S. and the largest homebuilder locally, and they're headquartered here as well.”
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The technology, which is compatible with Qi-enabled devices, can be embedded into quartz, granite and marble countertops. It has a proprietary LED “halo” that’s projected through the countertop to indicate a charging zone, which is large enough to charge multiple devices. FreePower for Countertop comes with an app that controls brightness and color of the wireless charging surface.
It also has a "wave to wake" feature that lights up the charging zone when waving a phone over it.
"The idea is some people will want it in their house because it's just really cool,” Slatnick said. “It has kind of a 'wow' factor."
FreePower for Countertop differs from traditional wireless chargers because its large charging surface eliminates the need for aligning devices on a "hotspot" in the center to receive power.
“As long as you're anywhere in the charging zone, you could put multiple devices in that zone simultaneously," Slatnick said. "That's sort of the big difference.”
The company is a recipient of three 2024 CES innovation awards in categories for innovation in smart cities, smart homes and embedded technologies.
What’s more, FreePower has partnerships in the works with high-end German kitchen company Leicht, as well as hotel giant Marriott, which is installing the startup’s wireless charging technology in the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Tempe that's opening in January, Slatnick said.
The company’s initial installations of FreePower for Countertop are underway with an official product launch to occur in February at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas.
FreePower aims to gain market share in the hospitality industry within the next year with plans to eventually roll out its wireless charging technology in restaurants, hotels, airports and homes nationwide.
To date, FreePower has raised more than $16 million in venture capital funding and plans to close an additional $5 million round in the near future, Slatnick said.
Slatnick said there’s enormous market potential for the company’s products as wireless charging becomes more commonplace among consumers.
“In the very short term, we're focused on this countertop space because that's how we fulfill the original vision for the company," Slatnick said. "We want surfaces to power devices everywhere. But in the long run, we want to continue to pioneer the industry and help shift people to this wireless world. It has happened with communication, it's happening with WiFi and the Internet, and the next phase is power.”
