brrr°’s Apurba Banerjee Elected Chair & Vice Chair of AATCC Committees
Congratulations to brrr°’s Chief Scientist Apurba Banerjee, Ph.D., on being elected to serve in 
leadership positions on several committees of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC).
Banerjee was named Vice Chair of the C3 Technical Committee on Research (TCR), which is often a pathway to serving on the association’s Executive Committee on Research in the future. Her three-year term begins in January.
She was also named Chair of the Yarn and Other Substrate Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Thermoregulation Committee, and she was elected as Vice Chair of the Young Professionals Committee.
“It’s a privilege to serve alongside some of the brightest minds in the textile industry as we work together toward a common goal of advancing technology and functionality,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee earned a Ph.D. in polymer, fiber and textile sciences from The University of Georgia, and she holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in textile and fiber processing from the Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly known as UDCT) in Mumbai, India. She was also a graduate research assistant at Colorado State University.
brrr° Chosen to Present at Emory RAISE Forum Investor Conference
brrr° is excited to be selected as one of eight companies chosen to present at the Emory RAISE Forum conference today hosted by the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta.
The prestigious conference connects fast-growing startups that are already generating revenue with interested and active investors who are looking to place $1 million to $5 million in capital to close the gap in funding sources at higher levels.
Leaders of startups also receive consulting and mentoring from professors and other business leaders in the community.
“We look forward to sharing our business strategy with investors at the RAISE Forum as we prepare to raise $3 million to $5 million in equity funding,” said brrr° Founder and CEO Mary-Cathryn Kolb.
The RAISE Forum was created seven years ago by early stage investor Barry Etra to encourage collaboration across the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Southeast, and is now a pillar of the Entrepreneurship program at Emory’s Goizueta Business School.
brrr°’s Banerjee Discusses Fashion and Function
For centuries, fashion was driven by beauty standards that seem downright barbaric today: tight corsets, heavy layers, and stiff structures that restricted movement.
Thankfully, today’s fashion is married with function and our clothing is more stretchy, breathable and comfortable to wear as we go about our daily lives at work and at play.
For a long time, Lycra and Spandex were considered cutting edge – clothes that included these ingredients fit better and had a perceived performance edge.
Now it’s time for our clothes to take another leap forward with smarter materials that can actually draw heat and moisture away from our bodies to keep us cooler, says brrr° Material Scientist Apurba Banerjee, Ph.D.
Yet cooling technology is shrouded in mystery.
Some companies claim that their clothes cool, but what they really mean is that they are good at wicking.
“We think it’s time for the textile industry to adopt a standard definition for ‘cooling’ and that should mean it has an innate cooling sensation that can be felt even when you’re not sweaty,” said Banerjee, who gave a well-attended presentation on the subject titled “Don’t Sweat It!” at the recent Functional Fabric Fair by Performance Days in New York City.
brrr° is a pioneer in cooling fabric, with patent-pending technology that achieves an instant and permanent cooling sensation by combining natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying to create a “Triple Chill Effect™” that won’t ever fade or wash out.
Cooling technology is jumping beyond the athletic and fashion industries to also be used in denim, footwear, bedding, car seats, office chairs, baby blankets, uniforms, and medical applications.
brrr° Chosen to Present at Venture Atlanta 2018
Venture Atlanta is the Southeast’s leading tech investor event,
with more than $2.6 billion in funding awarded to date.
brrr° has been chosen out of more than 1,000 applicants to be one of the 34 rising star technology companies in the Southeast that will present on stage at Venture Atlanta 2018.
The 11th annual Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier event for connecting technology innovators and investment capital, will be held October 16-17 in downtown Atlanta. With more than 140 funds represented and 900 technology entrepreneurs expected to attend, this year’s Venture Atlanta is on track to be the largest yet.
brrr° will share the stage with other technology innovators as well as expert speakers including keynotes delivered by former NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson and former FireEye and McAfee CEO Dave DeWalt.
“We are thrilled to be chosen to present at Venture Atlanta as we introduce investors to brrr°’s growth story as a disruptive innovator in smart fabric technology,” said Mary-Cathryn Kolb, Founder and CEO of brrr°.
brrr° has developed cooling fabric technology that combines natural minerals with active wicking and rapid drying to create a “Triple Chill Effect” that draws heat away from the skin and won’t ever fade or wash out. Its patent-pending technology is tested by globally recognized independent labs and outperforms other leading brands.
Atlanta-based brrr° was chosen to be one of 34 presenting companies from a large pool of applicants to represent the region’s most innovative technology businesses, which builds upon brrr°’s inclusion in the “Startup Showcase” at the Venture Atlanta 2017 conference.
“For eleven years, Venture Atlanta has been connecting the Southeast’s best and brightest innovators with top-tier investors,” said Allyson Eman, executive director of Venture Atlanta. “This year, we’re thrilled to be showcasing the strongest and largest roster yet of both early and venture-stage companies. These companies reflect the incredible pool of talented people, and continued opportunities for growth and innovation.”
During the two-day Venture Atlanta event, presenting companies and conference attendees will engage with regional and national venture capitalists, investors and other key players in the current technology landscape.
The conference results in funding, national investor exposure and invaluable relationship building with successful technology executives. Tech Square Labs will return as the event’s premier sponsor, and the conference kicks off with Techstars Atlanta 2018 Demo Day in partnership with Cox Enterprises.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta connects the Southeast’s most promising tech companies and entrepreneurs with top-tier local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. Now in its 11th year, Venture Atlanta is an annual nonprofit event that is a collaboration between three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, please visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
About brrr°
brrr° was founded in 2014 to develop technologically advanced fabrics with superior cooling performance to improve the items we touch in our everyday lives. brrr° enhances the comfort of business clothing, casual clothing, athletic apparel, denim, uniforms, sheets, and other textiles. The privately held Atlanta-based company is led by Founder and CEO Mary-Cathryn Kolb, who previously held senior positions at Spanx, Seven Jeans, TOMS Shoes and Von Dutch. For more information, please visit www.brrr.com.
brrr° CEO Mary-Cathryn Kolb Named Small Business Person of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle
We are honored and humbled to share the exciting news that brrr° Founder and CEO Mary-Cathryn Kolb was named Small Business Person of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Kolb was chosen as the winner in the Emerging Entrepreneur category, which recognizes the leaders of fast-growing businesses that are three to seven years old. The award was announced today at an event at the Atlanta Botanical Garden that was attended by business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the metro Atlanta area.
The other finalists in the Emerging Entrepreneur category were Annie Eaton, CEO of augmented reality technology services firm Futurus, and Joseph Corona, President of interior general contracting firm Cornerstone Contracting Group, Inc.
“It is such a privilege to be recognized for the hard work we’ve put into growing brrr° into a leader of cooling fabric technology,” Kolb said. “To stand alongside such inspiring leaders like Annie and Joseph is a tremendous honor, and we thank the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s editors and the panel of judges for their vote of confidence in our strategy.”
brrr° Comfort Has Arrived at Jos. A. Bank
We're excited to see this new line of brrr° comfort clothing by Jos. A. Bank for their recently launched fall collection.
The premium 1905 Collection by Jos. A. Bank features button-down shirts, suits and sports coats lined with fabric made with brrr°'s patent-pending cooling technology.
brrr° uses cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying technology to create a "Triple Chill Effect" that is proven to draw heat and moisture away from the skin to keep you cooler.
The new 1905 Collection featuring brrr° is available at Jos. A. Bank stores nationwide, and through their online store. We like the variety of slim and tailored fit items so men can find their perfect fit.
You can shop now at Jos. A. Bank
Q&A with Mary-Cathryn Kolb, 2018 Small Business Person of the Year Finalist
Atlanta Business Chronicle has named our finalists for the 2018 Small Business Person of the Year Awards. The winners are scheduled to be announced at an awards event Sept. 20 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Here’s a Q&A with one of the finalists, Mary-Cathryn Kolb, founder and CEO, brrr.
Q: What strategies can small business owners use to build success in their companies from the start?
A: Starting a company from scratch is incredibly hard, and you have got to have a very large and very dedicated support system, or you’ll be toast. It’s not exactly a 9-to-5 job. There are days I have to set an alarm for 2 a.m. so I can talk to our team in Taiwan before their day ends, and I spend a lot of time in airports and on planes to meet with customers and partners.
It’s critical that you hire smart, dedicated employees who believe in your vision and will roll up their sleeves and put in the long hours and do the heavy lifting to bring your idea to life. You have to have good advisors who will share their business knowledge and professional experiences, and investors who believe in your business model and your strategy.
Q: What was the best piece of advice you took when starting your business? What advice did you disregard, if any?
A: One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me was to be strategic in creating a board of directors, because they are very much an extension of your management team and they will bring powerful insights that you wouldn’t otherwise get. They’re both insiders and outsiders, and that’s a valuable combination. Our board includes a capital markets director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, the former CFO of a major telecom company and the former CEO of a department store chain, and each of them brings unique insight and perspective to our business.
I can’t think of any specific advice I disregarded completely, because everything that someone shared came from a place of sincerity and it was an important lesson or insight for them that they were trying to give to me. Some things might not have been very applicable for my particular situation, but every bit of wisdom has merit on some level and I am grateful for all of it.
Q: What would you share with an aspiring entrepreneur who is considering taking the plunge and starting their own business?
Take advantage of the network you have, and seek advice from friends, former colleagues, neighbors and anyone whose opinions and wisdom you trust and admire. People will bend over backward to help you, make an introduction or open a door if you are humble and if you make an effort to give back or pay it forward. There is enormous power in that.
Q: How does metro Atlanta support the formation of small businesses?
I can’t imagine having started brrr° anywhere other than Atlanta. There is such a culture of innovation and creativity and finding better ways to solve challenges, and there is an incredibly deep talent pool. The city and the region are very pro-business and supportive of entrepreneurs, and there are great networking opportunities with organizations such as Launchpad2X and the Technology Association of Georgia.
Q: What can the region do better to help support small businesses?
For as many startups as there are in Atlanta, there should be a more robust investment community based here to provide capital and seed funding to get these young businesses off the ground. I would love to see the investment community double or triple for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Find the article here: Atlanta Business Chronicle
The Game Launches Hats with brrr° Cooling Technology
We’re excited about a new line of hats made with brrr°® cooling technology by The Game®, that will keep athletes and consumers cooler and more comfortable than ever before.
The Game makes custom designed headwear for universities, schools, community teams and recreation leagues for players of all ages, and will offer hats made with brrr° technology through its website and catalog starting this summer.
brrr° technology has three unique cooling effects that immediately and continually move heat away from your body. brrr° combines natural cooling minerals with active wicking and rapid drying technologies to create a “Triple Chill Effect™” that won’t ever fade or wash out. The material also offers maximum UV protection and it’s hypoallergenic.
“We’re excited that this cooling technology by brrr° can help keep athletes more comfortable so they perform their best, on the field and off,” said Chad Kennedy, National Sales Manager at The Game.
The superior cooling and drying capabilities of brrr° fabric are lab tested and validated by internationally recognized independent labs.
“It’s great to bring brrr°’s proven cooling performance technology to headwear through this partnership with The Game,” said Mary-Cathryn Kolb, Founder and CEO of brrr°, who has worked in the apparel industry for more than 15 years and was formerly an executive at Spanx and TOMS shoes. “This is a great example of how brrr° can be integrated with a variety of fabrics that we touch and use in our everyday lives.”
Be Cool and Beat the Heat
The dog days of summer are upon us, but you can stay cool with these amazing new performance shirts by GAP made with brrr° cooling fabric.
The GapFit Hybrid Pique Polo has a straight, easy fit with a zip pocket at the chest for a modern look. For a more relaxed look, try the GapFit Hybrid Short Sleeve Crewneck T-Shirt that falls at the hip and moves with you.
brrr° uses natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying to create a “Triple Chill Effect” that is instant and permanent, and has been independently lab tested and verified. Because our technology is in the structure of the fabric, it won’t ever fade or wash out.
Concerned about too much sun exposure? GAP’s brrr° shirts also offer great UV protection.
We’re big fans of this new line by GAP with brrr° technology, and they make a great gift for the active men in your life.
They’re flattering on women too. Order down a size or two for a more snug fit.
Venture Atlanta Announces brrrº as First Presenting Company at VA 2018
Venture Atlanta is proud to announce that brrrº is the first company to be selected to present on the Venture Atlanta 2018 stage. A textile technology startup in Atlanta, brrrº was founded by Mary-Cathryn Kolb, who secured the company’s spot on the Venture Atlanta stage as a part of the prize for winning today’s launchpad2X pitch competition.
Launchpad2X was created by Bernie Dixon to empower the female entrepreneurship community. Bernie has been on a mission to close the gender gap when it comes to venture capital funding, and in partnership with Venture Atlanta, she launched today’s pitch competition for women-owned businesses. We’re proud to award Mary-Cathryn and the rest of the brrrº team this opportunity to step into the spotlight at Venture Atlanta.
After the event, we sat down with Mary-Cathryn to hear about her experience as a female entrepreneur, starting and growing brrrº, and being a part of the launchpad2X and Venture Atlanta community.
What was the inspiration for brrrº, and what was the “aha” moment where you felt this could be a successful business concept?
I’ve always been passionate about fashion, and my previous work experience was in the fashion industry. But I’ve also always had a creative and inventive mind and an interest in technology. When I saw that there was an opportunity to have a career that married the two, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
In terms of the “aha” moment, this goes back to my first few roles. I was either a founder or an early hire at each of my previous jobs. When you’re one of the first members of a company, you automatically assume a client-facing role, and when speaking with these customers, I learned a lot about what they need and expect from their clothing.
This led me to the cooling concept. It at first appeared to be a very saturated market — a lot of companies claim to do cooling but their fabrics really just whisk away moisture. There wasn’t anything out there that offered a “true” cooling technology. When I saw the demand for it, I decided I was going to be the one to satisfy the need by introducing a technology that authentically disrupted the market.
How were you introduced to launchpad2X and Venture Atlanta?
When I first came to Atlanta, I was introduced to Bernie through a mutual friend. Launchpad2X is an incredible organization to be a part of, and basically, everything good that has happened to my company somehow ties back to them. In fact, it was through launchpad2X that I met Allyson – Executive Director of Venture Atlanta. She encouraged me to apply for the showcase at last year’s conference and it was such a great experience. I received the funding that I needed, and now I’m able to pitch on stage at this year’s event. It’s just amazing.
Historically, we’ve received very few company applications from female leaders for Venture Atlanta. What would you say to encourage other female entrepreneurs to put themselves out there?
Do it. Even if you don’t feel 100% ready, you just have to go for it. There’s so much help available. Plus, the entrepreneurial community is especially good about paying it forward, with people who have gone through every phase of the journey always willing to lend a hand to those who are just beginning theirs.
LaunchPad2X from Kellie Taylor on Vimeo.
Register today for Venture Atlanta 2018 to see brrrº and other top emerging tech companies of the southeast. Interested in getting your company on Venture Atlanta stage or presenting in the Showcase? Apply here.
Article from Venture Atlanta
