Happi Flossers inventor Dr. Staci Whitman is a pediatric orthodondist and she cares about the environment. Platic flossers or floss picks are ubiquitous. That’s part of the problem. People use them and discard them just about anywhere. In fact, when Dr. Staci was at a conference in Hawaai, she saw flossers in the marina water and hse had an epiphany. She envisioned a flosser that was made sustainably AND decomposed after use, no matter where it is discarded.
The Happi Flossers are made from post-consumer recycled paper and will completely decompose in a year or less. Dr. Staci eventually wants to create a whole line of dental products around this technology. So far, even though she raised $29,931 on IndieGoGo, she’s pre-revenue. She’s using the IdieGogo money to purchase and tool the machinery to make her flossers. She hasn’t even delivered the IndiGoGo products yet.
When she does finally make her products, they will be 100 compostable. She’s going all out on the sustainability thing, too. They’re going to be made in a fair-wage shop near Portland, Oregon powered with renewable energy. She has several patents on the flossers pending and she likely needs a Shark to get her over the hurdle and into production.
My Take On Happi Flossers
I use floss picks several times a day. They’re plastic and I dispose of them responsibly, but I see Dr. Staci’s point. I see plastic flossers on the ground everywhere and it makes me sick. I’d buy a compostable product if I could and Happi Flossers ALMOST fit the bill.
I have two problems with Happi Flossers: the cost and the fact there is no pick. At $12 for 30 flossers, they are on the pricey side. Bamboo flossers on Amazon are $15 for 200. Those are sustainable too. The other thing is the actual pick. Happi Flossers have a rounded edge instead of a sharp pick which I find handy for getting clumps of food out from between my teeth before I actually floss. I’m all on board with the mission though and confident that Dr. Staci will figure it out.
Do Sharks Floss?
Dr. Staci faces some big hurdles in the Tank. The fact she’s pre-revenue will mean she’ll need a pretty favorable valuation for the Sharks. She claims she’s seeking other investors and, if she found some, that could mean she’s too diluted to accept a “Sharky” offer.
She’s also vulnerable to the “too early” objection. While neither of these objections are deal killers, they’re big obstacles. The only hope I see for Dr. Staci is if Mark really believes in her mission and gives an offer that reflects on the time he’ll need (his team) to spend on it. The other hope is a Mr. Wonderful royalty deal. Short of that, she’s out of luck.
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