A local entrepreneur is closer to bringing the world’s first single-use, sterile, and 100-percent biodegradable breastmilk collection kit to market after having won South Piedmont Community College’s fifth-annual 53 Ideas Pitch Competition.
“Not only does this win fuel my desire to keep going, but it tells me that other people see promise in the idea just as much as I do,” said Erin Martin, founder of Pump for Joy.
“Even if someone has never experienced breast pumping and cleaning pump supplies, they can relate to the business side of the opportunity as well. Additionally, the opportunity to meet the other incredible entrepreneurs who took part in 53 Ideas was fantastic. We’ll continue to be rooting each other on in the future, and I feel like I’ve gained some wonderful friends and mutual supporters.”
Martin began to brainstorm her disposable breast collection system in 2021, after giving birth and returning to work as a project manager three months later. Like many mothers, Martin struggled to perform at work while also stopping to pump her breast milk every few hours. One of the biggest issues in pursuing work-pump balance was the time it took to clean her breast pump after each use.
A little research revealed to Martin that mothers all over the world were also frustrated by the inconvenient pump-cleaning process.
“I learned that more moms stop breastfeeding sooner than they planned because of the inconvenience of pumping than because of physical pain.”
The benefits of breast feeding — including reduced risk of illness for the baby and cancer for the mother — are too important to be curtailed, so Martin got to work. Pump for Joy has been in development ever since.
Martin envisions Pump for Joy as being the “Dollar Shave Club of breastfeeding”; for a cost of $20-$64 per month, mothers will receive biodegradable pump parts designed to be thrown away after each use.
As the first-place winner in this year’s 53 Ideas competition, Martin has received $10,000 to move Pump for Joy forward.
“I am working with a design and manufacturing company to finalize the design. The next step, and one of the largest costs, is gearing up for short-run production with sampling and tooling. This product will be injection molded, and getting those molds created is very expensive. But with the seed funding from 53 Ideas, I will be able to achieve getting my first ‘real’ sample in the final material produced from my proprietary design. That unlocks a ton of additional opportunities for funding when I have this ‘golden sample’ in hand, and generally makes the product feel so real,” she said.
Taking second place in this year’s competition was Dr. Monique May, who received $5,000 for her Physician in the Kitchen Vegan Worcestershire Sauce. Coming in at third place was Zanbria Asante, who received $2,500 for her Unravl by Swella, a device that makes removing braids easier, quicker, and less expensive than traditional takedown services.
The 53 Ideas Pitch Competition is a regional entrepreneurship competition hosted by South Piedmont that allows business owners and entrepreneurs to pitch their big idea in a 53-second video. The top 53 submissions are then given training and support as they develop their business pitches.
Each contestant completes 12 hours of business training covering business model development, customer discovery, finance, and pitching. There are also opportunities to network and learn from other entrepreneurs. The entire process culminates in one final pitch day where 10 finalists make one last pitch for the prize funding, hoping for a shot at the grand prize of $10,000 for their business. The competition is supported by Fifth Third Bank.
“Each year, we are amazed and inspired by the ideas that emerge during this competition. It is an honor to work alongside these talented, passionate entrepreneurs as they pursue ideas that will truly change the world. Congratulations to each of our winners and to all of our contestants. We can’t wait to see what comes next for each of you,” said South Piedmont’s Small Business and Entreprenuership Director Renee Hode.
To learn more about the 53 Ideas Pitch Competition, visit 53ideas.com.