Two Babson Alumni Businesses to Appear on ‘Meet the Drapers’—a New TV Show Turning Viewers into Investors
Well-known Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, and his similarly-famed VC father and daughter, have launched a new television show lauded as the “kinder, gentler version of Shark Tank.” As part of this new series, the Draper family will capitalize on the rise of equity crowdfunding by giving viewers the opportunity to invest in the startups they see on TV.
Out of the 1,000 startups that applied this year, only 39 were chosen, and two were from Babson:
Mighty Well
Led by Co-Founders Emily Levy ’16, Yousef Al-Humaidhi ’15, and Maria del Mar Gomez Viyella ‘16
Mighty Well produces Wellness You Can Wear—fashionable and functional products that transform the patient experience by applying the latest and most innovative fabric technologies to meet patient needs. Mighty Well’s first collection of Wearable Wellness focuses primarily on the following patient populations: Cancer patients, diabetics, and those needing long-term vascular access with PICC lines, ports, and feeding tubes.
(Sarah Dame, 22, living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Gastroparesis. Thanks to her Mighty Wrap, Mighty Pack, and Mighty Tank, she can conceal and secure her feeding tube and IV port in her chest and no one has to know, all while looking stylish and confident.)
Mighty Well will appear in Episode Five on Sunday, December 17 at 6 p.m. ET. Learn more >>
Green Piñata Toys
Led by Founder Shiva Kashalkar MBA’11
Green Piñata Toys is disrupting early childhood learning through play and reduces accumulation of unused toys. They combine data science and human expertise to curate toys that are individually tailored to the child for their optimal play and learn experience. Together with eco-conscious manufacturers, Green Piñata’s subscription-based rental service offers excitement and novelty every month for kids while helping families reduce their addition to landfill of unused toys and reduce clutter.
Green piñata will appear in Episode Four on Sunday, December 10 at 6 p.m. ET. Learn more >>
The Show
Every episode, Tim Draper, his father Bill, and his daughter Jessica, watch and judge three startup pitches. Viewers are then directed to Republic—a crowdfunding platform designed specifically to allow for more accessible startup investing for the general public.
Meet the Drapers premiered on Sony Entertainment TV on November 16 (available via Roku, Sling, and Dish). The show looks forward to also being available online over the next six months.