FOX 8: HPU Couple Turns Elevator Pitch Idea Into Baby Bottle Company

Chapters & Transcript

0:00

If you are thinking about starting a new business, the numbers are pretty daunting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 20% of new businesses fail in their first year, and nearly half are gone before the 5-year mark. But it appears members of the current generation graduating from college aren't swayed by that. They are on track to become the most entrepreneurial generation in American history, as you'll see in the Buckley Report tonight. This is the workflow. Yeah, this is the workflow. This is the war room. The older half of generation Z should be our dining room clocks into the workforce as the most entrepreneurial and then go over budget in history. Virtual and 2026.

0:47

But for Addison and Jordan Antico, that's not how they planned their lives. But I didn't know what I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to get into politics at first or or or or news, but he did minor in entrepreneurship at High Point University.

1:00

And then they had a competition that they were hosting, an elevator pitch competition. Come up with a solution to a problem, 2 minutes to pitch it. That's all they needed to win and collect the $5,000 first prize.

1:13

What was your pitch? The pitch was that you were out on the boat with your sister who had tried to make a bottle. It was a total disaster and there had to be a better way to formula feed on the go. Is this where it all started? That's the first design right there. So, they spent the last few years developing what they call Shimmy, a baby bottle system for busy parents who use formula.

1:37

We saw this gap in the market where there was not one company out there that proudly stood for formula feeding parents. They all, you know, had a one foot in, one foot out, one foot out, but not one company that was just like, we're here for you. And that's where we kind of saw Shimmy being. So now when parents leave the home, they already have everything pre-measured. Water here, formula in here. When they're ready to feed, all they do is they pull this plug, they unscrew it, and then they shimmy the formula into the bottle itself.

2:05

Depending on which survey you believe, somewhere near 2/3 and maybe as many as 84% of Gen Zers plan to start their own business. What's much less common though, what's it like working as husband and wife? Do you have an hour? Is doing it as a couple. You know what I was thinking actually? As they have since they first started dating as sophomores in high school. How many people told you you were crazy? Oh my gosh. A lot of people. A lot of people. Yeah.

2:34

They've pulled it off by leaning into the way their generation communicates largely over social media with genuine endorsements. Like a whole plethora of things that you know maybe cause a little bit of frustrations. Well, that is what Shimmy is here at Tooth Fix. And they've embraced the neverending life of running your own business.

2:54

How many hours do you put in a day or a week? That's the thing. I don't think there's a number that we can like quantify. It's every day. You know, so many people think, "Oh, I want to be an entrepreneur because I don't have to. I can manage my own hours." But that is just so the opposite of the truth. Like you trade the 9 to 5 for the 24/7 and trade the corporate world for the unknowns of entrepreneurship, but with the one person you trust the most. Bob Buckley, ready to go? Yep. Fox 8 News. Very good.

3:26

Addison and Jordan feel the market is large enough to sustain Shimmy since more than half of women use formula for their babies. And they say that number is growing because of how many women are in the workforce. If you would like to see more about Shimmy, we put a link to their website on ours. Just look for the story in the Buckley Report under the archive under the spotlight tab at myfox8.com.

This FOX 8 Buckley Report profiles Addison and Jordan Antico, a married couple and High Point University graduates who won HPU's Elevator Pitch Competition with an idea for easier on-the-go formula feeding. That win helped launch Shimmy, a baby bottle system that pre-measures water and formula for busy parents, which the couple has since grown into a company. The segment also explores the rising number of Gen Z entrepreneurs, the challenges of running a business as a couple, and the demanding, always-on nature of startup life.

FOX 8: HPU Couple Turns Elevator Pitch Idea Into Baby Bottle Company

Introduction

Who are the HPU couple behind Shimmy?

What is HPU's Elevator Pitch Competition?

How did the idea for Shimmy bottles start?

What is Shimmy and how does it work?

How common is it for couples to run a business together?

How do young entrepreneurs market with social media?

What is the real time commitment of entrepreneurship?

How big is the market for baby formula bottles?