Cleantech Open begins!
Easy Keepers LLC /EcosmithToys is entered in Cleantech Open 2012 Accelerator & Competition
The Cleantech Open runs the world’s largest accelerator. CTO provides entrepreneurs and technologists with the resources needed to launch successful cleantech companies. Their mission is to find, fund, and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental, and economic challenges.
About the Accelerator & Competition
The Cleantech Open Accelerator & Competition consists of a number of key activities; extensive mentoring, training, business clinics, access to investors and capital, numerous opportunities to showcase to the media and the public, and the competition itself. Since its inception in 2006, the Cleantech Open has awarded over $5M in cash and services to support cleantech growth companies. The 581 participating companies of the Cleantech Open’s accelerator programs have raised more than $660 million in external capital.
naming the company
idea on a napkin
When Dennis and I launched into this adventurous journey of creating a company, coming up with a unique, kid-friendly name wasn’t easy. I suggested “Jay & Dee Kids” for Janet & Dennis. We registered the name, tried it out. Some people liked it. Others not so much.
“Easy Keepers” was easy. I came up with the name for my horse toys, and registered the trademark in the mid-1990′s when I first designed the toy. I let it lapse, someone else registered it and also let it lapse, and luckily I registered it last year when I revisited the idea of designing the toys.
We didn’t have a company name that we loved, so Easy Keepers became the name of the LLC, and the search continued.
The company has two main divisions; materials and toys. We’re currently going with “EcosmithToys” for materials and “Flying Pigs Planet” for toys.
A few days ago, we met with a past president of Hasbro. He said “EcosmithToys”? It’s not fun. (I’m thinking, biomaterials aren’t fun. Toys are fun. What do we do?) He suggested a name, and if it’s available, we’ll definitely register it, but getting a trademark is expensive, so choosing wisely is important. “Flying Pigs Planet” was inspired by a LinkedIn group discussion by non-green toy designers. They were talking about the carbon footprint of toys. It ended with one guy making a joke about his toy company making toys that didn’t use batteries, and the response from another member was “when pigs fly!”
EcosmithToys: bio-based materials for toy manufacturing; providing innovative solutions in renewable, recycled and recyclable alternatives to petroleum-based, chemically toxic plastics used in mass-market toy manufacturing.
Flying Pigs Planet: eco-friendly toys that go above and beyond! Safe, bio-based materials + innovative design for creative play.
Easy Keepers(TM): our first toy line. A limited number of Easy Keepers toys are currently being made by hand. Funding for small batch manufacturing is underway. Easy Keepers(TM) are eco-friendly bipedal horses and other hooved animal friends (cow, pig, sheep, goat, donkey, and a few less domesticated creatures; Pegasus, and we’ve had several requests for a Unicorn).
Eco-friendly toys in concept, design & prototype phases:
Bendable Plush Horse Toy–bend and pose this realistic plush toy horse! Ages 3 & up.
Tree Construction Toy–sort of a 3D puzzle, made from recycled paper, cellulose and bio-resin. Ages 3 & up.
Green Meadow Play Rug–comes with woodland animals; frog, toad, turtle, newt, salamander. Ages 3 & up.
Frog Pond Habitat–soft, stretchy frogs in pretend pond toy. Ages 3 & up.
Bunny & Bear Teething Toys–safe, non-toxic toy for infants & toddlers.
Watch for more toy descriptions coming soon!
Dog Bone Town Music; CD’s & performances for children by Dennis Caraher. Visit www.dogbonetown.com to listen!
links to sustainable design
In our efforts to start our eco-friendly toy company, we’re constantly doing a ton of information-gathering to fuel our passion and knowledge of the health and environmental issues concerning petroleum-based plastic. Here are some of our favorite resources.
The Problem with Petroleum-based Plastic
Plastic in the Pacific Ocean http://science.kqed.org/quest/video/plastic-in-the-pacific/
Impact of Plastic on Humans http://www.sustainableplastics.org/problems/plastics-impact-human-health
http://bizngo.org/pdf/cpa-plastic-principles-bizngo.pdf
http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/default.asp
Bioplastic Alternatives
http://www.sustainableplastics.org/
Recycled Plastic
http://www.plasticrecycling.com/
Sustainable Product Design
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/03/i_got_my_strategy_from_greenpe.html
Mass Challenge
Easy Keepers, LLC has entered the Mass Challenge accelerator and competition. MassChallenge is a non-profit organization which helps innovative startup companies. On May 3, we’ll find out if we’ve made it to the next round. Here is part of our application: the problem and our solution. For the application, answers could be no more than 500 characters; we are learning to be concise! You can see our public profile here and please do vote for us, using 1 to 5 stars.
140 CHARACTER TAGLINE
Easy Keepers LLC is a toy company providing innovative children’s products using sustainable design & materials to inspire imaginative play.
ELEVATOR PITCH
Billions of toys each year made from petroleum-based plastic & toxic chemicals harm workers, children & the environment. With millions of recalls each year, parents have lost trust in this industry. Kids are inundated with commercialized products that compress childhood and fail to allow kids to develop imagination & creativity. Our company has developed a safe & environmentally friendly alternative to toxic soft plastic, to produce our innovative toys. We make toys kids want & the planet needs.
PROBLEM
Billions of toys are made each year from petroleum-based plastics and toxic chemicals. These toys harm workers, children and the environment, yet the mainstream toy industry promotes their products as safe. Children need imaginative play to develop into innovative thinkers, but the toy industry’s commercialized, media-driven products; electronic, “educational” and “interactive” toys have the opposite effect. This wastes our money & natural resources, & depletes the next generation of innovators.
SOLUTION
We’ve developed proprietary materials that are the best alternative to toxic plastic. Our mission: To have a positive impact on children while helping to improve the health of our planet. Our goal: To lead the way in bringing social responsibility to the toy industry by proving that sustainability is good business. Our promise: To deliver results with multiple innovations in concept, design, & materials. To make a difference in our local economy; create jobs & green manufacturing.
vote for your favorite horse color!
Tell us what is your favorite horse color. (You can vote for more than one color!)
We’ll tally the votes and add the winning color to our herd of Easy Keepers!
To vote, leave a comment here or on Easy Keepers Facebook page.
Thanks!
