Portfolio / ChargedUp

IoT · Hardware + SoftwareConsumerUnited Kingdom

The UK's first power-bank rental network — built from scratch, live in six months.

ChargedUp came to us in 2018 with an idea: let anyone rent a power bank from any venue, and never run out of battery again. We built the entire platform — hardware integration, apps, payments, the lot. Today that network spans five countries.

Engagement2018 – 2020 · end to end
ScopeIdea → R&D → design → build → production
PlatformiOS · Android · web · BLE hardware
OutcomeGraduated — raised funding, went in-house

What the platform became

We built the foundation. Here's how far it's gone.

1.5Musers on the networkChargedUp, 2026
2,500venues across the networkChargedUp, 2026
5countriesUK & Europe
500Mminutes of charge deliveredChargedUp, 2026

Network figures published by ChargedUp today. Wegile built the original platform the network launched and scaled on, 2018–2020. The ChargedUp app currently holds a 4.8★ App Store rating (UK, 4,600+ ratings).

The brief

In 2018, ChargedUp had a hardware idea and almost nothing else. They needed a partner who could take it from a sketch to a real product people could tap, unlock, and pay for on a street corner.

That meant building across every layer at once: physical power-bank stations that talk to phones over Bluetooth, a GPS-driven map to find them, QR-unlock flows, real-time rental metering, Stripe payments and subscriptions, and apps on iOS and Android — plus the web platform and back office to run it all. Wegile owned the entire workflow: planning, device R&D across many hardware units, business logic, design, development, production release, and app-store approvals.

The first version went live in about six months. Two major enhanced versions followed over the next twelve, shaped by real customer feedback from live venues.

Idea to production in six months — hardware, apps, payments, and a live venue network, end to end.

The product

One tap to charge. Everything behind it, engineered.

GPS integration
GPS integration

A live map of every station nearby, with open-now and free-slot filters to find one fast.

Station detail, in one view
Station detail, in one view

Address, hours, and live availability — navigate there or rent on the spot.

BLE integration
BLE integration

Tap your card or scan the station QR — the power bank releases over Bluetooth, cables included.

Online renting
Online renting

A live rental in progress — real-time charge, session timer, running cost, and return-anywhere prompts.

Real app screens from the ChargedUp build · Wegile, 2018–2020.

How we worked

A hardware-software product is only as good as its hardest layer.

Challenge

Make physical hardware feel like one tap

Power-bank stations, BLE handshakes, GPS, payments, and two app platforms all had to behave as a single, instant gesture — on a street, on the first try, for a non-technical user.

Approach

Own every layer, test on real devices

We ran R&D across many hardware units, built the BLE and GPS layers ourselves, and shipped iteratively — first version in six months, then two major upgrades driven by live venue feedback.

Result

A network that kept scaling without us

The platform we built became the foundation ChargedUp grew on — to 2,500 venues and 1.5M users — and the traction helped them raise the funding that took development in-house.

The two-year arc

From sketch to a funded company.

2018

Idea, R&D & design

Planning, business-workflow design, and hardware R&D across multiple device types — defining how a tap becomes a charge.

+6 mo

First version live

iOS, Android, web, BLE-enabled stations, GPS discovery, Stripe payments — in production and in real venues.

2019

Two major upgrades

Enhanced versions shaped by live customer feedback — expanding the venue network and refining the rental experience.

2020

The graduation

With strong traction, ChargedUp raised funding and brought development in-house — the best possible reason a client moves on.

Under the hood

Built to scale from day one.

BLE hardware integrationGPS / real-time locationQR unlockStripe + subscriptionsSwift 5 · iOSKotlin · AndroidAngularJS · webAWS LambdaAPI GatewayDynamoDBS3SES

The distinctive engineering was the real-world layer — Bluetooth hardware, location, and frictionless payments — on a serverless AWS foundation built to scale across countries.

★★★★★

"The team are excellent, Sumit is always contactable and available for help. They work tirelessly and have created a fantastic product for us. We intend to keep using them for many years to come. Highly recommend for anyone!"

Hugo TilmouthCEO, ChargedUp

Why it ended — and why that's the point

ChargedUp is one of only two clients in our history to move on. Both did it for the best possible reasons.

In ChargedUp's case, the product worked so well it helped them raise serious investment — and with funding came an in-house engineering team. We handed over a platform that was already in five-country shape, and they ran with it.

The graduation rule.

In 14 years, clients have left us for two reasons: they raised funding, or they got acquired. ChargedUp raised funding. We're proud to be the team that built what they raised on.

More proof

Other things we've built.

Have an idea like ChargedUp had? Let's build the foundation.