Ray, a powerbank-sharing service, announced its launch in Dubai and revealed it has raised a $1.2 million seed round, primarily from private investors, including Meirambek Abelkasov and Serik Uspanov, co-founders of the kick-sharing company JET. With the incoming funds, Ray plans to expand its station network across the UAE and GCC, targeting high-traffic hospitality venues, shopping malls, and transport hubs.
Founded by Igor Kosolap and Roman Averianov, Ray provides portable charging stations installed in restaurants, cafes, malls, and other public venues. Users can rent a powerbank directly from the station and return it to any other station within the network.
The service is currently operating in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The company plans to expand its network to 2,000 locations across the UAE by the end of the year while offering both direct POS payment and mobile app options. The city’s 3.8 million residents, strong tourism flows with 19.6 million international visitors in 2025, and more than 13,000 food service venues create favourable conditions for scaling the service across hospitality locations.
Ray addresses a growing consumer need: 90% of smartphone users experience stress when their battery drops below 20%, while 25% of devices run out of charge by the end of the day. As smartphones become central to payments and communication, access to convenient charging is increasingly becoming a basic service in HoReCa.
“Ray differentiates itself through Tap-to-Pay technology, allowing users to rent a power bank in about 15 seconds by tapping a bank card or using Apple Pay or Google Pay directly at the station. The process works without requiring an app, internet connection, or even a charged phone.” said Roman Averyanov, CPO and co-founder of Ray.
At the same time, the service preserves the familiar payment flow of the mobile app. Users are charged according to the standard rental tariff depending on the duration of use, making the experience seamless while removing the need to install an app.
The stations are equipped with fast-charging power banks that can charge smartphones from 20% to 80% in approximately 30 minutes, with enough capacity to recharge a device up to twice.
According to equipment suppliers, Tap-to-Pay technology can increase conversion to rentals and station revenue by up to four times compared to app-only systems. Ray is currently the only powerbank-sharing service in the GCC offering this functionality.
The company has also integrated international payment acquisition and global IoT connectivity, operating in over 170 countries, enabling stable device connectivity, and preparing the infrastructure for international expansion.
In the longer term, the company plans to scale across the GCC, building on this infrastructure to enter markets beyond the UAE.
