A Portishead businessman appeared on a new Channel 4 TV show to pitch his invention to an audience of shoppers.
Nick Webb and his two co-founders Matt Dyson and Matt Sparrow showcased their portable baby rocker, Rockit, on Buy It Now which aired yesterday (Monday).
The new show gives entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their products to a studio audience of shoppers.
If their bid is successful, the investors are given the opportunity to try to secure orders from major retailers.
Nick said: “We did receive one buyer in the audience and also a small trial order from Prezzybox, which we hope will lead to more orders in the future.
“We were happy with the result and although it would have been good to get orders from all three retailers, we are already in the main nursery channels such as Mothercare online and in John Lewis stores.”
The portable baby rocker fits onto any pram or pushchair and has already won a number of awards including a coveted Design Council spark award and three nursery industry gold awards.
Nick said: “We spent two years developing Rockit and it launched to critical acclaim in September last year. It’s been a whirlwind six months since the Rockit launch with sales into independent nursery retailers and major high street stores including John Lewis.
“We have sold more than 14,000 Rockits so far, with large orders to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Israel and Taiwan.
“We are delighted with the response worldwide and are in discussions with lots more distributors in new territories.”
The team behind Rockit are building a sustainable business and have ambitious plans for expansion.
Nick said: “We are currently working on some really innovative follow-up products, all focusing on different child sleep issues.
“It is an exciting phase for the business and we are raising investment via an equity crowdfunding campaign.
“This will enable us to fast-track our new product development and invest in the marketing of Rockit and future products in the UK and abroad.”
To find out more about the crowdfunding campaign, visit www.crowdcube.com/rockit
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