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Miami mompreneur wins nationwide honor

November 01, 2012·Nancy Dahlberg

Natalia Ortiz Head ShotA South Florida mompreneur was one of 11 small business women nationwide honored as part of the  Huggies MomInspired Grant Program. Natalia Ortiz of Miami, pictured at right, and the other recipients each received $15,000 to help fund their businesses.

Ortiz founded Two Hippos LLC, a small business dedicated to inventing and manufacturing functional, practical and stylish products for kids. Her company’s products include the Wall Bumpi bed rail bumpers, the Cot Buddy cot mat, and the Monster Buddy body pillows for kids.  The Wall Bumpi is an original safety device to help parents transition their child from a crib to bed safely. It provides a cozier, safer sleeping solution for parents.

A recent Huggies MomInspired survey found that 84 percent of mompreneurs were encouraged to be more innovative and think more creatively after becoming a mom. Ortiz created the Wall Bumpi out of Wallbumpinecessity when her daughter was transitioning from her crib to bed, and then continued on with other products. (One of the designs is pictured at left)

ColorThe Huggies MomInspired Grant Program was created to help mompreneurs bring their start-ups and new product ideas to life by providing business counsel and funding. Since 2010, the program has received more than 1,700 applications and awarded 32 women with nearly half of a million dollars in grant money to help make their business dreams a reality.

For more information about the grant recipients and the program, visit HuggiesMomInspired.com. For more information about the Wall Bumpi and Two Hippos' other products, visit www.wallbumpi.com