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
Cooling Trifecta
Article from TextileWorld.com by Rachael S. Davis.
Atlanta-based brrr° was founded by entrepreneur Mary-Cathryn Kolb, a sales veteran with several major brands. While working at Spanx Inc., Kolb developed an interest in textile technologies. “At Spanx, I became very intrigued with how we can make something so powerful, but invisible,” Kolb said. “And my curiosity for that led me down the path of textile technology.” Kolb identified a need in the industry for an authentic cooling technology, and after working with scientists in Taiwan to bring her ideas to life, brrr° was born.
The patented technology centers on what brrr° has branded the Triple Chill Effect. Unlike some cooling fabrics that focus on wicking alone to provide cooling, brrr° combines a special fiber core for increased wicking ability and proprietary fabric structures for maximized airflow with a “secret sauce” comprised of natural minerals that have the ability to cool the skin on contact and the ability to continuously cool.
The brrr° minerals begin life in a powder form, which is melted, extruded and chopped into pellets so they may be combined with thermoplastic polymers during melt spinning. The amount of brrr° additive used depends on the final fabric composition, desired amount of cooling as well as other fiber properties and the intended end use.
According to Kolb, more than two years of product testing has led the company to claim that the cooling effect — brrr° can reduce skin temperature by up to 3°F over 20 minutes of normal wear as measured using the Hohenstein Watson Cooling Test #16.1.14.0024 — is proven cooling.
“We have the word proven in our tag line, and that’s because of the extensive years of testing that we have behind our technology,” Kolb said. “We were able to find the right partners and spent a good two years doing competitive analysis. We feel very confident and stand behind the word proven.”
When tested using the industry-standard Qmax Cooling Test FTTS-FA-019, the scores for brrr° fabrics are anywhere from 30 to 85-percent better than those for virgin nylon, polyester or cotton.
Kolb realized the technology was applicable across a wide range of end-uses, but also understood that the company could not manufacture fabrics for every application. It was then decided that a licensing model made sense. “We cannot be the best in every category, best in class, best in design for example,” Kolb said. “But we can be the best in class in technology and license the technology to best in class product leaders who can make their products even better with brrr°.”
Two options are available to manufacturers. They may purchase brrr° yarns and become a certified user of brrr° yarns. Currently, polyester and nylon filament yarns are available, although other polymers may be used, and the company is looking into incorporating brrr° during other spinning methods to expand the family of yarns that are available.
Or, manufacturers may buy fabrics featuring brrr° from the company, and the company offers product development assistance through its Taiwan-based manufacturing facility.
Brands are taking notice. brrr° has programs in place with several well-known brands including The Gap Inc., Jos. A. Banks, Men’s Wearhouse, Argent and Downlite.
brrr° currently is found in bedding, athleisure wear, golf apparel, automotive products, denim and formalwear. But one market that has not yet opened up is medical. Kolb sees enormous possibilities for the cooling technology in medical products. “I believe there is such proactive care by having brrr° in the medical space and that’s something I’d like to uncover,” Kolb said.
“My idea when I started the company was to create a technology that could be applicable to all of the fabrics in our lives, and so to see the vertical of automotive taking off, to see bedding taking off, it’s really illustrating that vision and it’s exciting!”
Smart Fabric Startup Brrrº Raises A Million to Keep You Cool All Over
Brrrº, the textile technology startup that produces a uniquely cooling fabric, has closed on an additional $1 million in funding to continue their rapid expansion into a store near you. This additional capital comes in as the Atlanta-based company plans to launch products with Gap Inc., Joseph A. Banks, Downlite and more.
The startup has developed a yarn with a “Triple Chill Effect” — it’s made from natural cooling minerals, a special fiber core that promotes moisture wicking and a proprietary fabric pattern that increases airflow. They say their fabric reduces skin temperature by up to 3 degrees Fahrenheit in 20 minutes.
“The whole purpose of brrrº is to bring performance fabric into everyday use cases,” says co-founder Mary-Cathryn Kolb, a long-time clothing retail exec. Prior to brrrº Kolb was most recently at Director of Sales at Spanx, and before that, the first hire at TOMS Shoes.
“We see performance fabrics on a sports field, but the ability to need that performance in everyday use cases is a market that needs our attention,” explains Kolb.
Over the past year they have focused on a number of those everyday use cases. In clothing, she highlights developments in denim and men’s shirting.
“We look at product categories that have a high penetration to consumer usage,” Kolb says. “When you take denim, for example, that’s just a staple in everybody’s closet.”
“To be able to have a jean that you can live in, that’s breathable, that doesn’t get swampy as you go about your day and that can keep you dry and cool, is a real home run.”
Other products go beyond clothes. The team is tackling bedding — sheets, comforters, pillowcases — in an effort to give consumers a better night’s sleep.
“To be able to have sheets help you sleep better by dropping your skin by one or two degrees, enhances the customer experience,” Kolb says. She likens it to the familiar feeling of switching to the cool side of the pillow.
An additional category they tackled was automobile textiles. Hot car seats and seatbelt are a real problem for automobile manufacturers in the summer months or in hot climates. brrrº’s technology could solve that.
Kolb says that their revenue model has shifted since the company’s early days. They started off by designing their own clothing products to test the market and show the viability of the fabric. In 2016 they had two collections in department stores.
Now, they license with brands such as Gap to sell them fabric made with brrrº’s cooling fibers. That’s currently their biggest revenue stream, according to Kolb.
However, she’s optimistic about another revenue stream they’ve recently begun exploring: direct-to-manufacturer. That allows them to sell their yarn directly to mills all over the world and take a fee from the finished garment.
The company has now has raised a total of $3 million in outside funding and plans to hire to augment its team of 10. Kolb says they’ve projected $10 million in gross revenue for 2018 based on product delivery for spring 2019.
“We’re launching with some brands we’re really excited about. We’re debuting our denim this year with one of the most recognized denim manufacturers in the world,” Kolb says.
“It’s really exciting to see those fruits of our labor.”
Find the original article here: Hypepotamus
brrr° featured in VoyageATL
Great Q&A with brrr° CEO Mary-Cathryn Kolb by digital magazine VoyageATL, in which she shares the story of brrr°'s growth and renewed focus on R&D as an ingredient brand.
brrr° CEO Mary-Cathryn Kolb Featured in Delta's Sky Magazine
brrr° is flying high with an exciting profile of CEO Mary-Cathryn Kolb in the December 2017 issue of Delta's Sky Magazine.
Delta Sky Magazine December 2017_brrr feature
Sourcing Journal writes about brrrº being chosen for inclusion in the Material Library maintained by Material ConneXion
sourcingjournalonline.com /outerwearworkwearfabricrdspikesnewperformancelevels/
Technical innovations that create highperformance fibers and fabrics continue to be at the forefront of product development in the textile industry.
From cooling and insulating materials for activewear to flame resistant, abrasion and impactresistant fabrics for durable workwear, companies are reaching new heights through collaborations, and with research and development.
DuPont Industrial Biosciences is collaborating with Unifi Inc., to create highperformance, renewably sourced garment insulation, offering apparel brands a new sustainable choice for coldweather products.
This partnership combines DuPont Sorona polymer and Unifi Repreve to produce coldweather apparel insulation that is soft and durable, with strong shape retention.
DuPont Sorona is made from 37 percent renewableplantbased ingredients, using 30 percent less energy with 63 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to nylon 6, the company noted. The soft hand, inherent stain resistance and durability of Sorona offers customers in a wide range of industries a more sustainable, highperformance materials option. The polymer has been used in everything from carpeting to Indian sarees.
Repreve is a highquality fiber containing recycled materials. Unifi’s proprietary process turns plastic bottles into certified fiber, which is then used in thousands of different fabrics and products available globally.
“The combination of Sorona and Repreve provides brands the opportunity to use a highperformance, durable insulation that dries quickly and keeps its shape even after washing,” said Michael Saltzberg, global business director for Biomaterials at DuPont. “The new insulation’s unique warmth and durability will bring customers streamlined outerwear, made from ecofriendly materials while maintaining maximum warmth and breathability.
[Read more about textile innovation: Textile Firms Put More Focus on Specialized Workwear Materials]
Ning Hongjun, president Unifi Asia Pacific, said the collaboration will give customers the freedom to choose a new type of garment insulation that is eco
friendly without compromising performance.
“With our expertise in recycled polyester staple fiber and DuPont Industrial Biosciences’ industryleading Sorona, we look forward to seeing this breakthrough technology be widely adopted by leading brands,” Hongiun added.
Teijin Aramid, a specialist in highperformance industrial fabrics, has introduced Teijinconex Coolnex Super Wicking Fabric, a lightweight, soft and comfortable flame resistant fabric.
Teijin, based in the Netherlands, said the outstanding feature of this new fabric is a quick dry absorption of perspiration without losing its flame resistance, an innovation that meant to fulfill the needs of the workwear industry.
The innovative single layer fabric combines the best in personal protection fabrics with high performance sports textiles, providing high levels of thermal protective performance against heat, flames and flash fire. Designed to breathe, the fabric allows the sweat to move from the body to outside, producing a cottonlike feel.
The fabric is reinforced with high performance Twaron or Technora paraaramid fibers for superior strength and durability. Garments made with Teijinconex Coolnex not only retain their protective properties after thermal exposure, but remain comfortable and service worthy longer.
“With our long history and experience in professional protective apparel and sportswear, we designed a fabric that brings comfort in flame resistant work wear to the next level,” Christian Norhausen, business department head of Heat & Cut protection at Teijin Aramid, said. “The intrinsically builtin flame resistance and moisture dry release properties make this an...outstanding fabric for everyday use.”
Cooling textile innovator brrr° was recently chosen for inclusion in the Material Library maintained by Material ConneXion, a unit of Sandow that consults with Fortune 500 companies on performance materials and design thinking.
Material ConneXion maintains one of the world’s largest subscriptionbased materials library with thousands of innovative materials and processes, and its research division works with companies to strategically incorporate trends and innovation into their business models and products.
Brrr° fabrics were recognized as having the “innate qualities that our team of material scientists and specialists look for when adding a material to our library of advanced, innovative and sustainable materials,” Material ConneXion said about the inclusion of brrr° fabrics in its fullservice libraries in New York, Bangkok, Milan, Tokyo, Bilbao, Spain, and Daegu, South Korea, plus certain satellite and educational libraries around the world.
Brrr° uses a proprietary blend of natural cooling minerals embedded in yarn, superior moisture wicking and a patented knitting and weaving process that maximizes airflow to create a “triple chill effect.” This gives brrr° fabrics Qmax cooling scores that are 30 to 85 percent better than the scores of comparable virgin nylon, polyester or cotton, and the cooling effect of brrr° has also been independently lab tested and validated by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute.
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Textile World writes about brrr°'s acceptance in the Venture Atlanta Startup Showcase
ATLANTA — September 15, 2017 — Cooling textile innovator brrr° was chosen to present and showcase its patented fabrics at the 10th annual Venture Atlanta elite investor conference and innovation showcase.
brrr° is one of only 16 startups deemed to have “the most exciting emerging technologies in the Southeast” selected to present at Venture Atlanta’s Startup Showcase, which gives investors a sneak peek into the products and services being developed by up-and-coming firms.
According to the company, brrr° uses a proprietary blend of natural cooling minerals embedded in yarn, superior moisture wicking and a patented knitting or weaving process that maximizes airflow to create a “triple chill effect.” This gives brrr° fabrics Qmax cooling scores that are 30 to 85 percent better than the scores of comparable “virgin” nylon, polyester or cotton, and brrr°’s cooling effect has also been independently lab tested and validated by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute.
“We are honored and humbled to be among this elite group of innovators invited to Venture Atlanta’s Startup Showcase,” said Mary-Cathryn Kolb.
Venture Atlanta is one of the largest and most respected investor conferences in the Southeast, attracting nearly 150 investment funds and drawing a sold-out crowd of 900 attendees. This year’s event, to be held Oct. 11-12 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, will feature Mark Cuban, an investor and philanthropist and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and Carvana CEO Ernie Garcia.
Over the years, Venture Atlanta has helped launch more than 380 companies that secured in excess of $2 billion in funding, including Acculynk (acquired by First Data), CloudSherpas (acquired by Accenture), Joulex (acquired by Cisco), SilverPOP (acquired by IBM), Kabbage, SalesLoft, and Roadie.
Source: brrr°
brrrº Chosen as a TAG top 40 most innovative companies in Georgia 2016
Technology Association of Georgia Honors 40 Companies for Innovation and Contributions to the State’s Technology Community.
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the state’s leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia’s technology industry, today announced brrrº, Inc. as one of its Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia. TAG will recognize this prestigious group at the 2016 Georgia Technology Summit (GTS) on March 17, 2016, at the Cobb Galleria Centre.
TAG’S Top 40 Awards recognize Georgia-based technology companies for their innovation, financial impact, and their efforts at spreading awareness of Georgia’s technology initiatives throughout the U.S. and globally.
“The 2016 Top 40 finalists are an elite group of innovators who represent the very best of Georgia’s Technology community,” said Tino Mantella, president & CEO of TAG. “The 2016 Top 40 finalists are shining examples of what makes our State such a hotbed for technology and we applaud them for standing out as leaders in Georgia’s technology community.”
This year’s Top 40 Companies were selected from among over 100 applications submitted by companies from across Georgia. Companies selected for the "Top 40" will be showcased in an exhibition at The 2016 Georgia Technology Summit.
"An extraordinary number of truly innovative technology companies participated in this year’s Top 40 competition, demonstrating the depth and breadth of Georgia's technology community," said Dennis Zakas, managing partner of Zakas & Leonard, LLP, CEO of Zinc., and chairperson of the Top 40 Selection Committee. “In fact, based on the quality of the contestants, we could have had a 'Top 6' without losing a beat."
“We are honored to be one of the TAG Top 40 chosen for 2016 and to be recognized on such a level by the Technology Association of Georgia,” said Mary-Cathryn Kolb, CEO and Co-founder of brrrº, Inc. brrrº is a global, textile technology startup that has already become an industry leader in the revolution of smart textiles with their patent pending, permanently cool fabric.
The 2016 Georgia Technology Summit is expected to draw a crowd of more than 1,300 C-level executives, entrepreneurs, technology professionals and academia to celebrate and recognize Georgia’s technology community. In addition to presentations from some of the top technology influencers in the nation, the newest member of the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia will be inducted.
For more information about TAG and the Georgia Technology Summit and to register for the event, visit http://www.tagonline.org/events/georgia-technology-summit Follow the conversation on Twitter through #TAGGTS.
About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
TAG is the leading technology industry association in the state, serving more than 30,000 members through regional chapters in Metro Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, Columbus, Macon/Middle Georgia, and Savannah. TAG’s mission is to educate, promote, and unite Georgia’s technology community to foster an innovative and connected marketplace that stimulates and enhances a tech-based economy.
Additionally, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG’s charitable arm) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive.
For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG’s community website at http://www.hubga.com To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit http://www.tagedonline.org/
