Barbara Heilman invented Unbuckle Me to solve a problem. She wanted to take her new grand daughter out on excursions while she was caring for her, but her arthritis made it difficult to exert enough pressure on the buckle that secured the child seat. As an occupational therapist, she decided to create a splint to help give her more leverage. When she showed it to her daughter, Becca Davison, Becca got excited.
Becca thought there was a need for such a tool. When she did a little research, she found there was nothing like it on the market. They decided to design, patent and manufacture the product which they dubbed UnbuckleMe. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, they were in business.
The problem with car seat buckles is you need to exert nine pounds of force to get the buckle to disengage – it’s a federal law. People with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or even extra long fingernails have a problem putting that much pressure onto such a small area. The Unbuckle Me gives the user that little extra bit of leverage that makes it a lot easier.
It’s designed to fit in a pocket, purse or glove compartment so a child can’t unbuckle herself in transit. When you arrive at the destination, you can give the Unbuckle Me to the child so they can let themselves out. The mother/daughter team sells UnBuckleMe for $14.99 on Amazon. They’re also available in several national chain stores like buybuy Baby and hundreds of mom and pop shops. AAA also bought a bunch of branded units as giveaways. The ladies would like a Shark to help them super charge their business, will a Shark buckle up and invest?
My Take on Unbuckle Me
As the father of five, I’ve unbuckled thousands of car seats. Those days are over – for now. When grandchildren start coming along, I may need this. I know my own mother, who suffers from carpal tunnel, could have used one when my kids were little. Those buckles gave her hell.
This is one of those “why didn’t I think of it” products that’s so simple yet so necessary for many people. We all want our kids to be safe in their car seats but we want to be able to get them out of it safely too. The Unbuckle Me could save a life in the right (or wrong) situation. I am in.
Will Sharks Buckle Up a Deal?
This is the only non high tech product on the show this week. It’s also the only product that could spark a bidding war. Several Sharks could bid on this.
UnbuckleMe is right up Lori’s alley. She could supercharge sales quickly. Even though the product is already in some big national chains, Lori could still get bigger distribution. It’s also a product that’s rip[e for a royalty deal, so expect Mr. Wonderful to wet his beak. Robert may have some interest since he has kids in car seats.
There may be talk of licensing, too. If a car seat manufacturer wanted this as an add-on sale, it would do well. Daymond likes licensing deals so he could weigh in too. I think they’ll get a deal, I just don’t know which Shark does it.
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