Skribs are customizable, reusable wristbands. (Photos by Michael Thompson)
After winning a local business competition this year, a VCU student is hoping his extracurricular activities will pay off again.
Tumi Oredein, a master’s student in VCU’s da Vinci Center and creator of customizable wristbands called Skribs, is a finalist in Walmart’s Get on the Shelf competition. The contest pits entrepreneurs from across the country against one another for a shot at getting their products sold on the superstore’s website.
Oredein, 26, made his pitch to Walmart representatives and the nation this week as part of a series of online videos that highlights the 20 finalists. He’s up against three other products.
Tumi Oredein shows off his product.
The public votes to decide which item will be sold on Walmart’s website. The winners will also be considered for marketing help from Walmart and could see their products in Walmart’s physical stores.
Voting for Oredein’s category is open through Thursday.
A University of Virginia alum, Oredein came up with the idea for Skribs in 2012 while working as a patent researcher in Washington.
“I always loved to draw,” Oredein said. “I would draw anywhere I could, on my hands and on walls. So I thought it would be great to create a canvas right on kids’ wrists. I also love wearing wristbands, but I couldn’t find wristbands that were tailored to how I felt. They always had something generic like ‘bravery’ or ‘you can do it’ on them.”
With Skribs, users can doodle on the wristband and erase their creations with the swipe of a finger.
Although Oredein is relatively new to product development, he is no stranger to making a pitch. In April, he took home $5,000 for placing first in VCU’s annual Venture Creation Competition.
“It’s one thing to sit in the classroom,” said Kenneth Kahn, professor and director of the da Vinci Center. “It’s another thing to get out there, and that’s what Tumi is doing. He’s taken [his idea] out there and is making it real.”
It was during that VCU competition that Skribs caught the attention of Darrell Jervey. His company, Worth Products Group, is a locally based product development firm. Jervey was a judge for the competition and said the simplicity of Skribs caught his eye and prompted him to reach out to Oredein.
“With simplicity comes lack of risk,” Jervey said. “[Skribs] had a very real potential to generate revenue at very low risk. There was no reason for me not to go help Tumi along.”
Oredein used his winnings from the Venture Creation Competition to finance the development of Skribs and has broken even, he said. He wants to be sure there is demand for the wristbands before investing any more.
Jervey said that if Oredein can bring a big enough purchase order to the table, either by winning in the Get on the Shelf competition or otherwise, then he would be willing to “push the button and start the machine” to begin manufacturing and distributing Skribs.
Even if his products don’t end up in Walmart’s online store, Oredein said he thinks he can turn his experience into a launching pad for his product.
“There is still clout in being in this competition, in being in the top 20, and the Wal-Mart brand,” he said.
Oredein hopes eventually to sell the rights to Skribs and to continue searching for the next light-bulb moment.
“I’m more of an inventor than a business person,” Oredein said. “I would like to put it in the hands of someone who knows that field and knows what they’re doing so I can continue making other products.”
Skribs are customizable, reusable wristbands. (Photos by Michael Thompson)
After winning a local business competition this year, a VCU student is hoping his extracurricular activities will pay off again.
Tumi Oredein, a master’s student in VCU’s da Vinci Center and creator of customizable wristbands called Skribs, is a finalist in Walmart’s Get on the Shelf competition. The contest pits entrepreneurs from across the country against one another for a shot at getting their products sold on the superstore’s website.
Oredein, 26, made his pitch to Walmart representatives and the nation this week as part of a series of online videos that highlights the 20 finalists. He’s up against three other products.
Tumi Oredein shows off his product.
The public votes to decide which item will be sold on Walmart’s website. The winners will also be considered for marketing help from Walmart and could see their products in Walmart’s physical stores.
Voting for Oredein’s category is open through Thursday.
A University of Virginia alum, Oredein came up with the idea for Skribs in 2012 while working as a patent researcher in Washington.
“I always loved to draw,” Oredein said. “I would draw anywhere I could, on my hands and on walls. So I thought it would be great to create a canvas right on kids’ wrists. I also love wearing wristbands, but I couldn’t find wristbands that were tailored to how I felt. They always had something generic like ‘bravery’ or ‘you can do it’ on them.”
With Skribs, users can doodle on the wristband and erase their creations with the swipe of a finger.
Although Oredein is relatively new to product development, he is no stranger to making a pitch. In April, he took home $5,000 for placing first in VCU’s annual Venture Creation Competition.
“It’s one thing to sit in the classroom,” said Kenneth Kahn, professor and director of the da Vinci Center. “It’s another thing to get out there, and that’s what Tumi is doing. He’s taken [his idea] out there and is making it real.”
It was during that VCU competition that Skribs caught the attention of Darrell Jervey. His company, Worth Products Group, is a locally based product development firm. Jervey was a judge for the competition and said the simplicity of Skribs caught his eye and prompted him to reach out to Oredein.
“With simplicity comes lack of risk,” Jervey said. “[Skribs] had a very real potential to generate revenue at very low risk. There was no reason for me not to go help Tumi along.”
Oredein used his winnings from the Venture Creation Competition to finance the development of Skribs and has broken even, he said. He wants to be sure there is demand for the wristbands before investing any more.
Jervey said that if Oredein can bring a big enough purchase order to the table, either by winning in the Get on the Shelf competition or otherwise, then he would be willing to “push the button and start the machine” to begin manufacturing and distributing Skribs.
Even if his products don’t end up in Walmart’s online store, Oredein said he thinks he can turn his experience into a launching pad for his product.
“There is still clout in being in this competition, in being in the top 20, and the Wal-Mart brand,” he said.
Oredein hopes eventually to sell the rights to Skribs and to continue searching for the next light-bulb moment.
“I’m more of an inventor than a business person,” Oredein said. “I would like to put it in the hands of someone who knows that field and knows what they’re doing so I can continue making other products.”