Laura Schwab’s ALMA wireless phone charger has been around for less than two months, and it’s already on Town & Country magazine’s list of “50 Best Luxury Gifts You Can Score for Under $100.”
“The choicest way to charge your phone while on the go,” the style-conscious magazine said of the $85 item earlier this month.
ALMA, a brightly colored device by San Clemente-based startup Addition, is the “first oval and wireless charger.” It retails for $85 individually or $170 for a set on its website with colors ranging from bright yellow to ruby red.
“When Town & Country includes you in the same gift guide as Chanel, Tiffany & Versace, you know you’re doing something right,” says Schwab, best known locally as the former president of Aston Martin The Americas and a former vice president of sales and marketing at Rivian.
ALMA, with patent pending, was launched in October. The ALMA charger goes on the back of the phone. The newly marketed device itself can be recharged with a pad.
“We ate bento boxes and laughed about how absurd it is that anxiety over a dying phone could send you back to your room and make you miss a sunset,” says its website. “Why would anyone carry a clunky brick and cord dangling from their pocket?
“With so much beauty in the world, there had to be a better way—something effortless, something whose very form could surprise and delight. Can technology have a soul? It can. And now it does.”
Aston Martin to ALMA
It’s a long way from marketing legendary Aston Martins to selling designer smartphone chargers, but Schwab sees a definite link with the constant “attention to detail” the products demand.
ALMA is the first product from Schwab’s new company.
“We started Addition because we wanted to create objects that add something meaningful and beautiful to people’s lives,” she says. “That’s what ALMA is about. It’s for the moments you don’t want to leave; the sunset with sand between your toes, the laughter of dinner with friends, the connection with a loved one that shouldn’t be interrupted by a dying phone. Presence really is the ultimate luxury.”
Each ALMA can be customized with any design, logo or color, making it a favorite for luxury hotels, brands and corporate gifting.
“We created it to bring meaning, design and presence to something people use every day,” Schwab told the Business Journal shortly after the product launch.
Building from Ground Zero
She also enjoys the challenge of starting something brand new, saying Addition is the “hardest, most rewarding project of my career.”
In her words: “A clean sheet of paper gives you endless possibilities.”
The technology was significantly more complex than she’d expected.
After several engineers said the design was not possible, Schwab and her team consulted a group of South Korean engineers who gave the product the green light, using a lithium-ion battery.
ALMA, which means soul or spirit in Spanish, was launched in 17 distinct designs and three finishes.
“With Addition, we wanted everyday necessities to feel like seven-star hospitality,” said Robert Louey, chief design officer at Addition.
Addition also offers custom designs, with bespoke ALMAs already created for The Carlyle hotel, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Voluspa, and others.
As for future products from the new company, Schwab says: “There will be a couple of derivatives of ALMA.”
