Frida McCabe - IV-bracelet #1

Describe yourself and your project. How did you get the idea?

We are two girls working on this project, me and Linn Wrangmark. The project is to bring a new product to the market, the IV-bracelet. The IV-bracelet is a bracelet that will hold intravenous tubes in place during health care treatments, to prevent complications. We got the idea during a course in ergonomics in collaboration with Gambro. Gambro presented a problem for us and the IV-bracelet was our solution to their problem.

Who are you? Previous education/jobs/ experiences etc.

I’m a soon graduated master of science in mechanical engineering and industrial design. I already have my own company, where I as a consult am in charge of the development and manufacturing of an alphabetic braille puzzle for children with blindness. The product comes from my own product concept which I sold to Specialpedagogiska Skolmyndigheten, whom I am now working for. In my spear time I train and compete in long jump.

What will you do during these three months? How will you spend the time?

We will spend the majority of the time at our “office” at VentureLab. We will talk to manufactures and get quotations. We will investigate how to protect our product in the best way. Make product sheets, a webpage and do marketing. We will try to approach and make contact with some bigger companies within the health care and revise our business plan. We also need to find out a good name for the company.

What do you expect to achieve during Leapfrogs?

We expect to have gotten quotations so that final choices regarding manufacturing can be made. In the end of the summer we expect to have a webpage, a product sheet and a protected product.  We will be in contact with potential customer and have an improved business plan. We will also hopefully have come up with a kick ass name for our company!

Frida McCabe - IV-bracelet #2

Tell us what you have done on your project so far during the Leapfrogs time.

So far me and Linn have had contact with potential manufacturers for the product, looked at company names and logos and booked a meeting with the former CEO for the company Vigmed. We have gotten a quotation for the tooling and production of one part of the bracelet from a company in Hong Kong and are waiting for a quotation for the other part from a Swedish company. We have also come up with a potential name and logo for the company.

Has everything gone according to the plan? Has anything unexpected occurred? Has something been easier/harder than expected? 

To find manufacturers that are willing to manufacture our product was harder than we thought. Several Swedish companies turned down our inquiry but we are now waiting for a quotation from one company in Sweden. In China it was much easier to find a willing manufacturer and they gave us a quotation in no time. To find a name for our company is something that we have postponed for a long time since we have found it hard to find a name that fits our company. 

What will you focus on during the remaining time? Will you follow your original plan or has anything changed along the way? 

During the rest of the Leapfrogs time we will work with IP-rights trying to get some kind of protection for our product, approach more big health care companies and work with branding. So far everything seems to go according to plan and we will therefore continue to follow the original plan but if needed, further on, the plan will be revised according to potential new information.

Frida McCabe - IV-bracelet #3

How did you experience the three months?

The three months has passed by faster than I expected. It has been fun to be able to work full time on our project. It has sometimes felt like we’re not going anywhere, but when you look at the bigger picture we have been able to come quite far during this summer.

What has been hardest/most enjoyable?

The hardest part has been to get hold of the people we have needed information from during the summer. Most of the people who have been on vacation, have had a lot to do before their vacation or a lot to catch up on after their vacation.

The most enjoyable part is that we now are ready to produce a batch of prototypes very similar to the finished product that can be used for all kinds of test before we start the production.

Did it go as expected? Will you continue working on your project in the future?

The work has turned out as expected and we have decided to continue our full time work on the project even after the leapfrog time. We have gotten a scholarship from Sten K Johnssons Stiftelse which has made this possible for us.

What would you say is the most important lesson learnt while working on your project?

To never give up and to believe in yourself and your project. If you don’t sound convincing enough and seem to really believe in what you do no one else will believe in it either.

Do you have any tips to other ”new” entrepreneurs?

If you don’t dare to try you will never succeed so don’t be afraid to try. And if it isn’t a success the first time, learn from your mistakes and try again.