ABBY by GOGOTECH

ABBY by GOGOTECH Inc. is a Delaware C-corporation headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware that develops ABBY, a manual/power hybrid wheelchair positioned as a lower-cost alternative to conventional power chairs. The chair is lightweight and foldable, can be used manually or under power, and includes sensor-driven obstacle detection, cloud connectivity and app-based features that allow caregivers and family members to stay connected to the user. According to the company, its team designed a new wheelchair controller from scratch, which it describes as the first new controller design since the 1980s and the basis for adding sensor safety, robotics and connectivity features while holding down cost.

The company is pre-revenue. It positions ABBY as an expansion play in what it describes as a $14 billion wheelchair market, arguing that existing electric wheelchairs are expensive, in short supply and built on decades-old, heavy technology with slow-charging batteries that limit range and prevent manual use. Company materials list the product stage as full product ready, with assembly at a Shenzhen factory said to have capacity for 300 units per month, shipped FCL to a single US warehouse for centralized service, support and order fulfillment, initially through Amazon FBA and later through a combined warehouse, showroom and service center for multi-channel distribution.

Founding story

CEO John DeBenedette has used a wheelchair on and off since a 1985 motorcycle accident and spent close to a year in a wheelchair during rehabilitation. He describes that experience, combined with a software career, as the origin of the product: observing outdated technology and scarcity in the wheelchair industry, he set out to build an affordable motorized chair. Company materials also trace the effort to a desire to help people with reduced mobility in the founders' families and communities, and to the finding that electric wheelchairs are overpriced and in short supply.

Business model

Two channels are described: a direct-to-consumer online model selling ABBY as a personal electric vehicle, and, after FDA clearance, a B2B model selling the chair as a medical device through distributors for insurance reimbursement. As of the 2024 crowdfunding offering the company reported no revenue and no accounts receivable in its two most recent fiscal years, with the DTC model gearing up for production and the B2B model awaiting FDA 510(k) clearance.

Hardware sales of the ABBY wheelchair, direct to consumers online and, after regulatory clearance, through medical device distributors.

Traction

Pre-revenue with no reported sales in its two most recent fiscal years. Product stage is listed as full product ready, and stated manufacturing capacity is 300 units per month at the Shenzhen factory. The company has completed at least one closed Regulation CF campaign and a subsequent StartEngine offering.

Latest developments

A StartEngine equity crowdfunding offering at $0.52 per share, a stated $6M valuation and a $15K-$618K funding goal ran with a deadline of 9 January 2025 and is listed as closed. In November 2024 the CEO discussed the product and the campaign in a podcast interview.