The two entrepreneurs Jonas Gissel and Joakim Stentoft from Denmark,
although only 21 years old, have already seen high praise for their solar-powered speaker systems that have just now been launched on ‘Kickstarter’.
Joakim and Jonas were no more than 15 and 16 years old respectively when their mutual frustrations over subpar sound and unnecessary wiring led them to start developing their own product. The summer festivals of 2010 created a demand amongst their friends for a transportable speaker system that didn’t cut any corners regarding the quality of sound. Thus, they began developing and selling what would become the basis for the Earwig, and it became so popular that Joakim and Jonas in 2014 founded Earwig Audio.
Gambling their savings
In 2015, the boys took the production a step further when they invested all of their savings in the manufacturing of the world’s first true solar-powered speaker. Production was based out of the cramped basement of one of the boys’ grandmas, and they worked tirelessly. Because of this, they were able to produce and sell hundreds of speaker systems that summer.
The success added fuel to the fires of their ambition, but fatigue, mentally as well as physically, were taking its toll: “Manufacturing speaker systems in a dank basement through the entire summer wasn’t how we pictured running Earwig in the long run. You have to come to terms with the fact that you’re not a machine capable of singlehandedly creating speaker after speaker. That’s why we got in touch with people from both the production industry as well as specialists that helped us to further develop and improve the Earwig,” says Jonas Gissel.
Unlike the rest
Realizing that the market for portable speaker solutions was already quite large, the boys knew that their product had to really distinguish itself.
Wanting to create a speaker system independent of power outlets, the boys quickly discovered the solution in the form of solar cells: “What makes the Earwig truly stand out is that, apart from the solar cell enabling you to listen to music whenever and wherever, it actually charges the built-in battery whilst playing music. Whether the sky is clear or cloudy, the solar cell will keep on generating energy. Furthermore, seeing as how Denmark isn’t exactly the sunniest of countries, we made sure to provide a battery for the speaker system that lasts more than 75 hours on a single charge,” Jonas explains. Apart from having a solar cell, the speaker system’s frame consists of 75% polypropylene and 25% wooden fibers, making it — probably — the most sustainable speaker system in the world. Furthermore, it is water- and beer-resistant and is able to charge smartphones numerous of times.
New challenges
Developing the speaker system, Joakim and Jonas quickly came closer to making a name for themselves on the market for portable speakers. Now, they dream of starting up a full-scale production of the Earwig, allowing them to reach beyond the borders of Denmark. This, of course, takes resources, partners, knowledge and constant interaction with experts on the field, and the boys hope to be able to finance all of this through a crowd-funding campaign on the platform Kickstarter.com. Here, consumers are able to support the project and be the very first to receive the Earwig, hereby allowing the creators to let their ideas come to life.
Have a look at the campaign as well as the Earwig speaker system here:
www.Kickstarter.com/profile/Earwig
