(My Herald column today)
By Nancy Dahlberg, ndahlberg@miamiherald.com
Susie Taylor, a South Florida mompreneur who believes
she has built a better bib, went on ABC’s Shark Tank show on Friday, requesting $40,000 in funding for 14 percent of her company, Bibbitec.com. Suffice it to say the Sharks had a problem with her margins (her made in the USA product with high-quality material costs $15 to make), her sales strategy and her price point. It was no deal.
But, as Taylor said before going onto the show -- a dream of hers for years -- she “just wanted the world to see her product.” It did. Orders for the multi-tasking, stain-resistant bib came in “non-stop” throughout the weekend and the company pulled in more than $21,000 in sales in the first 48 hours, Taylor said Sunday evening. Investors contacted her also. Read more about the Bibbitec story here, and Starting Gate will have a full debrief with her soon. See the show here.
In other startup and technology news last week:
• 3Cinteractive, a leading mobile platform company with a strong focus on consumer engagement, announced it was No. 1 on Forbes’ list of “America’s Most Promising Companies.” The third annual list recognizes U.S.-based, high-growth, privately held companies. The full list of companies will be available online at www.forbes.com Feb. 6.
• SuperConf has unveiled its full roster of nine speakers -- including Adam D’Augelli of True Ventures, Gregg Pollack of CodeSchool and Jason Webster of MetaLab -- for its two-day homegrown technology conference Feb 21-22 at the Knight Center in downtown Miami. Find it here.
• ReStockIt.com, a Davie-based ecommerce supplier for small-to-medium sized businesses, was purchased by Acme Paper & Supply Co., a Baltimore-based distributor of packaging, supplies and equipment for janitorial, foodservices, manufacturing and retail industries. Over the years, Inc. magazine ranked ReStockIt.com on its List of America’s 500 Fastest-Growing Companies and it was a Florida Finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards.
• In conjunction with the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge, we’re offering a free Business Plan Bootcamp Feb. 26 at Miami Dade College. Melissa Krinzman, managing director of Venture Architects, will be leading a panel of experts offering advice on crafting a short business plan aimed at grabbing the attention of investors. Panelists include: Richard Ginsburg, co-founder of G3 Capital Partners, a mid-market and early stage investment company, Steven McKean, founder and CEO of Acceller, a Miami-based tech company, and Mike Tomas, CEO of Miami-based Bioheart and president of ASTRI Group. The bootcamp is free, but find more information and the link to register here.
Read more startup news, including a guest post by Susan Linning on social media, on the Starting Gate blog. Send your startup news to me at ndahlberg@Miamiherald.com and follow me on Twitter @ndahlberg
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/03/3215748/no-deal-for-mompreneur-in-shark.html#storylink=cpy