Fearlessly Breaks Through a Male-Dominated Space
NORI press
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The Nori Story
Have you heard of Nori? Nori is a revolutionary new iron that kicks the ironing board to the curb. The brainchild of Courtney Toll and Annabel Love, Nori is taking the male-dominated hardware world by storm. Determined to turn ironing upside down, Nori came to life.
Nori started as an idea Toll and Love had from using hair straighteners to iron clothing, since irons and ironing boards can be too cumbersome in New York. These two communications majors with minors in entrepreneurship and social enterprise used determination, extensive planning, and passion to bring Nori to life.
Simplifying the Ironing Process
Co-founder Annabel Love states in her own words, “We kind of took what we thought that we would want a product like this to be and simplified it. But by simplifying it, it resonated well with everyone. Even fabric-specific settings were confusing; we were getting all this feedback that no one knew which temperature to use. Linen, for example, is at 425 degrees Fahrenheit but no one knew the dial on it. So, we just labeled it specifically and made it easy, user-friendly, and less intimidating. That was exciting because irons can be intimidating. There's a lot going on, with the massive ironing board and outdated technology. We just tried to strip it down to what the customer wants. That’s why we created Nori.”
Learn about the journey of these two women taking Nori from idea to innovation in the male-dominated hardware industry.
After giving up on clunky ironing boards and irons, two 20-something female entrepreneurs revolutionized the ironing industry with the creation of the
Revolutionizing a
Male-Dominated Market
Though the world is evolving, for a long time the users of an iron were women. However, the industry it’s created in is dominated by men. According to Love, “Men make up about 75% of the tech, software, hardware, and services workforce. On the list of the top ten hardware startups to watch in 2020, 90% had a male founder. So, it's a pretty male-dominated industry, and that can be intimidating because there is such a big learning curve.” However, Love does go on to say,
We’re obviously looking to change that.
We’re also looking to empower other females that don’t necessarily have an engineering background but have the passion to start a project and learn along the way.
When it comes to creating a digitally native steam press, it comes with a lot of struggles and victories. From fundraising to finding engineers to creating a prototype, Annabel Love walks through the processes of breaking down barriers and creating Nori.
Struggles of the Nori Female Entrepreneurs
Breaking Into the Industry
Finding the Perfect Engineer
To create a product that spoke to a Gen Z and Millennial clientele, Toll and Love worked tirelessly to find the best engineer for designing their product. “For the engineering process, we interviewed about 20 design and engineering firms before landing on the right one. It was important to make sure the person that we hired had not only immense experience and knowledge in this field, but knew how serious we are. Because we're two 20 something females, we were entering this unknown space, and we wanted to make sure that whoever we hired knew that we were super serious about it. This isn't just a pet project,” stated Love.
Conducting Research
It wasn’t just finding the right firm. They created numerous prototypes and conducted over 500 potential client interviews to create the perfect product. According to Love,
The Art of Fundraising
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The two of us used our nativity to ask all the questions underneath the sun in order to include the necessary features that our customers wanted to see in our product.
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After giving up on clunky ironing boards and irons, two 20-something female entrepreneurs revolutionized the ironing industry with the creation of the
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For an idea to shine and become a product, you need to have the financial resources. While Nori did raise $1.3 million before launch, it wasn’t without its struggles. The fact that they used technology from a hair straightener, which is a notoriously female market, added a unique challenge. Love noted that “fundraising is never easy. It’s hard, and there's not a lot of females in this space of investors.” So, when it came to discussing their idea for a revolutionary new steam iron, they had to explain the hair straightener to some, as well.
However, due to Toll’s fundraising efforts, Love said, “we’ve been fortunate enough to bring on great male investors, and we’re hoping to bring on more female investors in our next fundraising round. For advisory, we have Dave Health of Bombas, who's been fantastic, and Jack McCue from Fabletics. We have great advisors and investors. Fundraising is never super fun, but Courtney did a great job.”
Finding the Right Investors and Advisors
According to Love, breaking into a male-dominated industry isn’t a leap; it’s more of several small, well-calculated steps. “What we did is, we thought about small steps to help kind of de-risk the entrepreneurial jump. We both had jobs right after graduating.” She adds, “We both got jobs and started working on Nori on the side. We had this passion, so whenever I had spare time, I would be thinking about Nori. We did everything we could in order to put ourselves in the best position to quit our jobs.” This included finding the best possible engineers and people around them to make Nori happen.
The Final Product
This state-of-the-art steam iron looks like a high end straightener for all your clothing needs. Coming in at less than two pounds and 14 inches long, Nori uses the straightening swipe action to steam everything from collars to seams at home or on the go. The pointed edges work great for getting into those hard to reach areas, and it has six settings for everything from denim to linen in an easy-to-use digital display. With a push of a button, you are ready to iron.
After two years of testing and reworking, Nori finally came
to market.
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Women-Owned Businesses: Tips for Getting Started
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Never turn down a phone conversation. Being able to connect with as many people as you can is important.
Ask for help when you know you can’t do it. Outsource and hire people smarter than you in certain areas.
Trust your gut.
Think about the small steps you can take to make the jump easier for you.
Do what you can to make your idea happen. You’ll be surprised how far your passion can take you.
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Starting a business can be difficult. Starting a new business in a male-dominated industry can be even more challenging. But if you have an idea and a passion, don’t give up. When it comes to starting your own business, Love has a few words of wisdom to offer other women and girls out there.
When you have a passion to make an idea happen, nothing can stop you. But according to Love, you can
A Rewarding Experience
While the steps to getting to Nori had their highs and lows, Love notes it’s worth it. “It’s been rewarding and impactful to see that we created a unique product that people want and need. We are introducing a product that hasn’t seen much innovation since the creation of the steam iron in the 1980s. So, it’s a new product entering a new field. We are the first digitally native iron that is direct to the consumer. It’s been a ride,” laughed Love.
Not Your Grandma’s Iron
Nori is an innovative, digitally native new steam iron that’s revolutionizing the laundry landscape. Not only will it change the way you travel, but it makes an ironing board old news. Why? Because this isn’t your grandma’s iron, it’s a Nori!
“make the leap, but make it smartly.”
If you’re intrigued, you might want to check out more about the Nori, and its inventive creators.
Say Hello to Nori: The Revolutionary Iron That Simplifies Your Life
5 Ways the Nori Steam Iron Will Change the Way You Travel
What Should You Look for in a Travel Steam Iron? Nori Has it All
Why Nori is Better Than the Best Steam Irons on
the Market
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