Pumpcharge is a fresh new perspective on the billing and payment front that takes care of all the payment issues under one roof. The startup rides on the shoulders of technology and deliver a product that takes care of all the billing chores at a single place and on a single platform.
In an interaction with BWDisrupt’s team, Pumpcharge Founders share journey of their venture
Pumpcharge DescriptionWe select particular local hotspots like the neighboring recharge shop, the nearby petrol pump or a famous eatery and provide a tablet to the vendor or shop owner with the facility of an E-wallet. The wallet constitutes a particular amount of virtual cash and is connected to all the necessary payment domains one needs to use. The vendor can then use this virtual cash to pay for all the necessary bills according to customer demand. The refreshing part here is that Pumpcharge offers the service of mobile recharge, DTH service recharge, electricity bill payment and gas bill payment all in a single place, all through a single E-wallet. All the customer has to do is state what needs to be done. Just like a walk in the park.
We make payments on different products as easy as online shopping. The added benefit to this service is that we offer coupons encompassing a range of online commerce business and restaurants to the customers that use our service. The coupons are directly sent to their inbox, tailor made according to their preferences. Another different take on advertising through tablets adds the extra zing to our business model; we advertise products and sales offers and distribute coupons among our customers, essentially increasing the selling party’s market reach and traffic.
About the Founder:Pumpcharge was founded by Lalit Nagrani, a Metallurgy undergraduate. The co-founders in the initial phase then went on to pursue their higher education dreams but they were soon replaced by Abhijit and Anantha that brought in the same amount of passion and perseverance.
Inspiration and Story:The idea to gather all the payment requirements under one roof came from personal experience. Lalit himself was beleaguered by these monthly chores and the unavailability of resources as and when required. It was late in the day, when the unavailability of a mobile recharge shop, while he had to also pay the monthly electricity bill, that he realized something needed to connect these disparate parts for easier lives. A mere suggestion to his friend circle the same night engendered a spirited discussion on the whys and the ifs. A closer look at the inner intricacies the actual form will require was a long drawn process of continuous dialogues and deliberations. But once, the basic structure was thought of, the founders took no time to jump at the opportunity to bring together these widely separated parts together so as to make everyone’s life a little easier. Once the journey started, there has been no looking back.
USP:What we provide our customers with is a unique mix of one-stop services that covers all the basic bill payment necessities along with a reward system that entails coupons which can be redeemed at various online market places and local eateries. Be it the issue of electricity or gas bills, ticket booking or the same mobile and DTH recharge, all the rudimentary requirements are covered by us. The advertising faction not only adds to our revenue system, it also connects the customers to newer products and increases the seller’s outreach to the market. We are trying to partner with government and use the advertising platform to display different government schemes, employment opportunities & healthcare schemes too. Coupons are another source of joy to the customers and vendors themselves.
Market Size, Revenue Generation and Early Traction:According to a recent report of TRAI, mobile users in India touched 100 crores. According to another survey, of the total recharge revenue, only 5% of it is done online and is much less in terms of bill payments. Mobile recharge alone is a 30 Bn dollar industry annually. Thus, we have a huge market to tap into as rest of them recharge through the nearby recharge stores. Only 18 out of 100 people in India use Internet and not all of them prefer online payment. Thus, online payment and internet banking is yet to prosper.
We are currently present in 3 cities and seeing over 100 transactions per day. In recharge business, there are very little margins to play with but the revenue is high. With very few vendors, we see a revenue of around 3 Lakh per month. With advertising coming into effect once we have a good network of vendors throughout the city, we will see even better revenues.
Pumpcharge is a proud part of AIM smart city accelerator which is working on making Indian cities smarter. Reputed corporates like Dalmia Cements and Holostik are investors in exchange4solar. Microsoft Ventures, Ashoka University and ISB Hyderabad are the sponsors of AIM smart cities accelerator.
