Startups

The makers of these ‘earbuds for bikers’ raised $30K in 24 hours on Indiegogo

EAOS is a bootstrapped startup founded by Drexel grads. The first batch of their flagship product, SlimBuds, ships in August.

EAOS cofounders (left to right) Cihan Bilgin, Alperen Topay and Emin Faki. (Courtesy photo)

When a founder tells you their company is trying to usher in a “a different era for motorcycle audio,” you can’t help but pay attention.

You could almost see the smile on Alperen Topay’s face — one of three cofounders of Drexel University-based design company EAOS — as he announced over the phone line that their flagship product SlimBuds had met its Indiegogo campaign. But he quickly offers a warning: the first $30,000 are just the beginning.

“We’re planning on raising a lot more than this,” said Topay. “These funds we’ll be using to manufacture, test and deliver SlimBuds as the high-quality product we want it to be.”

https://twitter.com/ByEaos/status/829791231400087552

Billed as the “Bluetooth earbuds for riding that don’t fall out,” a pair of SlimBuds will run avid bikers $99 as part of the Indiegogo campaign. The current model features a chin strap of sorts that holds the buds in place. The “low-profile design” lets the whole thing fit under standard helmets.

View the campaign

Last year, the company also crowdfunded about $18,000 through their website to start testing prototypes. Cihan Bilgin and Drexel grad Emin Faki complete the founding trio.

“Bikers don’t get quality audio that they deserve,” an empassioned — nay, outraged — Topay says. “There are so many problems with current systems, their listening quality is so bad. We thought that needed to be fixed. We want to start a different era for motorcycle audio.”

Companies: Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship / Drexel University

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