Deep Bajaj, the founder of PeeBuddy, the first disposable device that allows women to urinate hygienically in public places, is aiming to expand his company into newer markets in India. The company, First Step Digital, that owns PeeBuddy, will soon launch in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune in 2018.
“We are looking at expanding in three cities as well as internationally. While we are available online, we are looking at a distribution network in these cities,” says Delhi-based Bajaj. He adds that his team has not zeroed in on the global market yet. “Internationally, we are looking at Southeast Asian countries as the lack of clean public toilets is severe in this region,” he says.
The company also expects to register a 200% growth in sales over last year. “We have sold over 1 million units since the launch of the product two years ago and are very positive about the future,” he adds.
The conservative mindset of retailers doesn’t bother Bajaj. “Awareness continues to be a challenge. Our team reaches out and educates standalone retailers. We have tied up with modern retail chains and will continue to focus on them,” he tells Fortune India.
The company has tied-up with supermarket chain HyperCity, and pharmaceutical retail chain Guardian and LeMarche for its products. “We are in the process of partnering with another multi-retail chain brand,” he says.
Bajaj launched PeeBuddy in 2014 when he, his wife and another couple were on a road trip to Jaipur and had problems finding a clean toilet for the women. “We stopped at every fuel station for our wives to use the public toilets and they would often complain about how unhygienic they were. At one point, my friend's wife recalled that she had seen a woman using a plastic makeshift urination device in Europe and wished she had them here. It was then that the idea came,” he explains.
Bajaj started the company with Rs 80 lakh and garnered support from the medical fraternity.. The 34-year-old and his partner Mohit Bajaj raised Pre-series A funding of Rs 2.9 crore last year and are in talks to raise Series A funding soon.