Startups

ChargeItSpot: phone charging startup delivers 150 cakes to potential clients

The company sent three Benjamin Franklin impersonators to deliver 150 cakes -- with founder Doug Baldasare's phone number written in frosting -- to local businesses.

One of the cakes that ChargeItSpot sent out to 150 local businesses. Photo from Josh Kopelman's Twitter.

Let ’em eat cake and hopefully they’ll realize they need a phone charging station.

That was the idea behind the marketing ploy that ChargeItSpot, a new Center City phone charging station startup, launched last Friday. The company sent three Benjamin Franklin impersonators to deliver 150 cakes — with founder Doug Baldasare‘s phone number written in frosting — to local businesses.

The heavy rain on Friday changed the delivery plans somewhat, said a company spokesman, but, for one, we spotted one of the cakes arrive at the First Round Capital offices, from where Technically Philly is located.

ChargeItSpot’s charging kiosks, which are free for customers, secured with locks and offer various types of chargers for different phones, are in three locations in Philly, including the Rittenhouse Square brick and mortar shop of ecommerce startup Kembrel, and a Whole Foods in Jenkintown. It hopes to install kiosks in 76 locations this summer, according to a release. Businesses pay a monthly fee to have a ChargeItSpot kiosk.

The company works out of coworking spot Seed Philly and has 10 employees, including both full-time and part-time. It raised $580,000 last fall, according to SEC filings and as we’ve previously reported. Baldasare, 29, is a Wharton graduate and lives in University City.

Updated 4/15/13 9:55 a.m. A previous version of this article said that ChargeItSpot raised $530,000. It actually raised $580,000.
Companies: ChargeItSpot / Kembrel / Seed Philly / Wharton School
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Donate to the Journalism Fund

Your support powers our independent journalism. Unlike most business-media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational contributions.

Trending

These 10 regions could be most impacted by federal return-to-office mandates

From Belgaum to Baltimore and beyond, this founder leaned on family to build a biotech juggernaut 

Philly grandpa scores Super Bowl tickets thanks to a local startup that raises money for nonprofits

Philly vs. Kansas City: Who’s got the stronger tech economy?

Technically Media