Wryde - Helmets Just Got Smarter

We've partnered with Catapooolt to showcase some of the best ventures from the 'Catapooolt ProductCzars' Challenge which aims to inspire & identify some of the best product based innovations - and focusing on providing them access to renowned product mentors, prototyping experts, product market-creation organizations, funding & media visibility.

Here is an insightful and candid conversation with  Vaishali Gupta, Co-Founder, Wryde. You can check out Wryde's Crowdfunding Campaign here.

What is the one sentence pitch of your venture?

Hassle Free Navigation

Tell us more about your team? 

At this very initial stage of our venture, Wryde comprises of a very small team. This initiative is taken up by 3 founders, who bring varied experience and skill sets with them. One of the founders has the rich experience of 3D designing and validation by FEM & CFD analysis, holding a degree of Mechanical Engineering from NIT-Allahabad (India). 

Another Mechanical Engineering graduate from NIT-Allahabad (India) and co-founder expertise in Operations Control and brings with him the experience of production line setup with broad networking among various Tier I & Tier II manufacturers and suppliers. 

The third co-founder holds a degree of Information and Communication Technology from DA-IICT Gandhinagar (India) and a Masters in Information Networking from Carnegie Melon University (USA). He brings with him the experience of working with various MNCs and is leading the development of electronics module.

How did you come up with the idea of your venture? 

The idea originated when we ourselves faced the difficulty of referring navigation data on mobile GPS while commuting on a 2-Wheeler within the city.

What problem are you solving? 

We are trying to make it more convenient and safer for any 2-Wheeler rider to access the navigation data, make/receive calls, notification, etc without taking any halt or compromising control of the vehicle.

How does it work? 

By incorporating a Head-Up Display technology in the helmet, which will provide all the required information at a glance, displayed directly on the helmet visor.

What is your target market? 

We are targeting the customers owning a 2-Wheeler above 150cc engine. This translates to a market of about 14 lakhs p.a. against a total 2W sales of 176 lakhs p.a. in India.

What is your competitive advantage? 

At present, we are focused in the Domestic Indian market and no known competition exist. We aim to pioneer the era of smart helmets in India and take the first mover advantage. Few international competitors exist, but none of them are currently focused in India. Also none of these competitors have launched their product yet, so right now it is not apt to say who is better and why. But against the data available we will have definite advantage in terms of product cost.

How do you plan to market your product? What are your customer acquisition strategies? 

We will position ourselves as a Premium Brand and reach out to our potential customers via ads on Youtube, Facebook, targeted mails and Word of Mouth of our satisfied customers. We also plan to provide personalized experience to customers on our website, based on the brand of his 2-Wheeler, giving him a sense of recognition.

What is the revenue model of your venture? 

Revenue will be generated from the direct sales of the product to the customer.

What sort of support and feedback are you looking from the community? 

We're looking for support in spreading the word about the problem we are trying to solve and by what means it will be achieved i.e. about Wryde Smart Helmets. We will be looking for people to provide their feedback over the suggested solution and any more features they think should be incorporated within the smart helmet.

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You can also ask questions to Vaishali about Wryde and her entrepreneurial journey.