CHAMPIONING WOMEN IN HARDWARE
Two female founders based at CRL, Cara O’Sullivan and Solveiga Pakštaitė, have recently been in the news after receiving great recognition for the amazing work they’ve been doing in various design startup and entrepreneur competitions.
Cara, founder of Ossatura, was in the finals Nesta’s Inclusive Technology Prize with her Evolvable Walking Aid Kit. The kit is composed of various interchangeable parts that allow the user to alter their walking aid as their condition improves or deteriorates without causing unnecessary apprehension and unease for users.
Cara submitted her idea, along with a working prototype and business model, which was then judged on for innovation, insight and impact, quality and safety, growth potential and affordability. After becoming 1 of 10 finalists in February awarded £10,000 for further development, they then attended the final prize evening in March winning a Special Recognition Award and £35,000 to continue their good work!
Only yesterday Cara also found out from the Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology that in collaboration with the Inclusive Design Research Group at Brunel University London, she had been awarded the Best Conference Presentation Prize for a research paper submitted . Read more details on Ossatura in Design Council News!
Just the next week, Solveiga, founder of Design by Sol, was a finalist in the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year and invited to pitch her product, Bump Mark, at the final stage of the competition. Bump Mark is a smart packaging label that uses natural processes to calculate the deterioration of your food and therefore can tell you when your food is no longer safe to eat. Sol and her all-female team, came away with the Shell People’s Choice Award and £5000 to further develop Bump Mark!
Read more about Bump Mark in Shell LiveWire Blog! Solveiga was also recently named in, Code First Girls, list of One’s to Watch in 2016!
Congratulations to them both for pioneering their products and being great role models for women in the tech/hardware startup world!
07/04/2016 written by MEGAN BATES
