This week’s 1 Million Cups presentation at the Kauffman Foundation offered pitches from two startups with products aimed at people who are most likely to be sports fans.
Professional makeup artists Stephanie Nash and Stephanie Mason, who co-founded Rumble Cosmetics, promoted their makeup line as “the official brand of the female fan” who wants to be “pretty and proud, not painted and loud” while attending her favorite college’s sporting events.
“We’ve created beautiful makeup for game day, but it’s makeup you can wear every day,” Nash said of the company’s lip gloss, nail polish and other cosmetic products that have been licensed to 26 colleges and universities featuring official team colors and logos. Each participating school receives 10 percent of the profit made from the sale of its licensed products, Nash said.
Rumble Cosmetics is currently available through 80 different retailers in more than 10 states, including such local stores as Halls on the Country Club Plaza, Rally House and Sportswear Etc. Starting in March, the university-branded line of cosmetics is to be sold at three Nordstrom department stores, including the upscale department store chain’s prime location in the Galleria in Dallas.
Toasty Tote, a collapsible outdoor chair and five-uses-in-one blanket bundled in a custom tote bag, was the other sports-fan-friendly product. It was pitched by the company’s founder Christian L. Corley, marketing chief Chris Vaughan and head designer Connie Robertson. They reported that Toasty Tote recently hit its first-round fundraising goal on Kickstarter, taking in more than $17,000.
Intended for cold-weather use, the Toasty Tote “keeps you warm and dry, on the fly,” and will soon be available to “soccer moms and football dads,” as well as those who camp, hunt and fish. Although the product is not yet available in stores, “we can see them at Cabela’s and Costco setting right next to the other (outdoor) chairs,” Corley said.
The combo chair-blanket has a projected retail price of $49.95, but can now be preordered at a 40-percent discount at toastytote.com.
