By Lauren Hermon
Young parents, Daniel Lauterio and wife Kate remember all too well what it was like trying to feed their babies when they’d be on-the-go and away from home.
That’s why Daniel has created Warm ‘n’ Ready – a portable battery powered thermos-like device which keeps water for baby formula at the ideal drinking temperature for up to seven hours.
“A lot of organisation goes into parents planning a day out… it can be stressful having to pack everything,” Daniel says.
Warm ‘n’ Ready has an insulated stainless steel vessel, a built-in 12-volt lithium-ion battery and can be set to keep water at a constant temperature between 38C and 45C for up to seven hours.
“This device is purely all about convenience and taking the stress out of going out with the kids… the ultimate goal is to make sure parents can enjoy themselves when they go out,” he adds.
Daniel has been awarded for his innovation, winning Flinders University‘s eNVIe Venture Dorm Awards last night (Thursday, June 23).
Daniel Lauterio , pictured left with Flinders University chief Colin Sterling, has won the eNVIes Venture Dorm Awards
Venture Dorm teaches people how entrepreneurs build new ventures and are then required to create one themselves.
The aim was to take an idea and find a viable business model from scratch – all in less than 12 weeks.
After interviewing more than 70 parents, Daniel realised just how many find it impossible to cool boiling water kept in a regular thermos.
He adds parents also find it difficult to warm water when away from home and are often reluctant to use microwaves to heat bottles.
Daniel originally wanted to create baby formula pods where people push a button on a machine and liquid comes out.
Daniel with wife Kate and their daughters
“After talking to parents we found many were more so having a hard time feeding their babies when actually on-the-go, so a portable version would be best,” he says.
Daniel will now work on streamlining Warm ‘n’ Ready, starting with improving the device’s battery technology.
“We’ve got a prototype that works, but now we’re looking at using a battery that is small but powerful enough to keep the formula warm for most of the day,” he says.
“The battery needs to be big enough to power for so many hours, but small enough to fit in someone’s nappy bag.”
The Warm’n’Ready prototype as it looks now
Daniel was joined by six other finalists from the New Venture Institute’s Venture Dorm Graduation program who also pitched their innovations at the awards ceremony.
More than $80,000 worth of prizes were up for grabs, including trips to Texas for the SXSW start-up festival.
Grant Bailey was runner-up with his Quue invention, a social commerce video platform built for online beauty influencers with 25,000 or fewer YouTube subscribers to improve discovery and better engage consumers in collaborative social commerce.
Alex Tolson, Alex Pearce and Matthew Freeman received the People’s Choice award for their smartBBQ, a cooking system with inbuilt sensors and internet connectivity to help ensure your meal is cooked to perfection every time.
Warm’n’Ready pre-orders will be taken soon, with the first units expected to be available early next year for $99 each.
Flinders University is a Brand South Australia member.