RADD Winners

I recently had the opportunity to interview the winners of the 2017 Stumberg Venture Competition, RADD—Relax and Do Designs. Jamie Proctor and Sarah Fordin both founded RADD officially in 2017, though it was conceived of and in the making in 2016. Termed the Gromm, meaning “little rad dude,” their hammock was created after Jamie learned to sew in his dorm room. After winning $5,000 from the seed round of the Stumberg Venture Competition earlier in the year, on October 23, RADD won the competition along with Coldeclara, a company who is creating a new tax filing system for Colombia. This was the first time the winners split the winning prize of $25,000 with RADD taking $20,000 and Coldeclara $5,000.

What was the inspiration for RADD?

              

  “I always wanted to create a gear company,” says Jamie. He had spoken with Dr. Martinez and alumnus Nick Hongger  who encouraged him to start a gear company, pick a piece of outdoor recreational equipment and start making it, and that’s how they got into the hammock industry—“easy to make and trending.”

How did you prepare for the final round of Stumberg?

               " Lots of coffee. Working from 6 am to 2 am. A lot of coffee. We practiced pitching in front of groups and friends and people who didn’t know us." They also cold called to acquire more sales, attended social events with Goodpeople SA, built a board of advisors: One contact they called and emailed at least 40 times to get a hold of, who finally said yes because of their stubbornness. Finally, they made the prototype, the all –in-one camping hammock featuring a component for protection from rain.

When asked about their plans for their  company moving forward, they replied that they are currently working on finalizing the prototype by making sure it’s been tested and reviewed. They intend to enroll in a Kickstarter by March or April, expanding their marketing, with the goal of unveiling their new product design to retailers in July in Colorado.

Do you have any advice for students interested in participating in the Stumberg Venture Competition?

“Just do it.” 

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