Irvine-based Bright Buddies Inc. wants to help children with autism and other special needs.
The consumer products maker, which launched in August of last year and now has over 20 products, plans to be in store aisles and online.
“The number of children diagnosed with autism is on the rise,” co-founder and Chief Executive Simon Shavanson said.
According to Shavanson, 20 years ago, one in 10,000 children was diagnosed with autism. That number has risen to approximately one in 59 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While Bright Buddies products, including weighted blankets and weighted plush toys, are not new inventions, the company is the first to put together a curated line of products for children with special needs, he said.
Studies have shown that the extra weight helps children with special needs, including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety, to feel calm, relaxed and safe by increasing melatonin and serotonin levels.
It’s seeking $3 million to build a technology platform to complement the products. Shavanson said he’s open to convertible notes.
Consumer Experience
“Bright Buddies is a startup that is not a startup,” the consumer goods industry veteran said.
Shavanson worked for more than 18 years at New York-based family business First Quality Enterprises Inc., which makes adult incontinence, baby and feminine care products. He was most recently vice president of sales, increasing revenue from about $20 million in 1994 to over $3 billion when he left the company in 2012.
That year, he started New York-based Shavanson Enterprises Corp. It’s comprised of a vertically integrated group of companies, including Qualbuys LLC and NuVu Group, that focus on “engaging consumers through integration of digital and physical products” and have “mom and her family at the core of everything we do,” he said.
Along with Chief Operating Officer Amy Kajiya, Shavanson co-founded Bright Buddies as an unaffiliated, independent California-based corporation.
Kajiya came from GenGirl Media Inc. where she served as chief operating officer from July 2016 to April 2017.
GenGirl is a toys and media company that created Middle School Moguls, dolls designed to inspire girls ages 6 to 10 to pursue business, entrepreneurship and technology. It was incubated at UCI Applied Innovation and launched in 2014.
Last week, it announced Nickelodeon will premiere an animated series based on the Middle School Mogul dolls.
Vision
While Shavanson declined to provide details of its in-development technology platform, he doesn’t rule out deploying a toy and media play like that of GenGirls.
The Bright Buddies line is anchored by four huggable weighted plush dolls named Shiny, Sky, Sparky and Sunny.
The company is simultaneously seeking a $10,000 Kickstarter round as a way to grow awareness and gain market insights.
Pledges start as low as $105 for a weighted blanket to a combo mega pack of $1,799 or more for 20 weighted blankets and 20 plush toys.
Weighted blankets offer different options in design, filling and weight; weighted plush toys come in four characters.
Special
The Bright Buddies products line also includes fizzy bath bombs, chew necklaces, visual learning cards, “Find Me!” name tag temporary tattoos, a fidget bracelet, headphones for children with hearing sensitivity, and essential oils.
Shavanson said Bright Buddies’ mission is to make everyday life easier for children—“any children, not just children with special needs can use something like the Find Me name tag tattoo,” he said—and especially those with special abilities and their parents.
“We say our products are designed for children with special needs,” Kajiya said, pointing out that the company strives to communicate with these children by designing products that speak their language.
