Although the first 500 units of Pink Lotus Technologies Inc.’s child safety device are stuck in customs on their way from China to Florida, founder and CEO Maryann Kilgallon still says the “stars are aligning” for her startup.
Kilgallon launched Orlando-based Pink Lotus four years ago and bootstrapped the company to its soft product launch this summer. Despite being the only full-time employee of her company, Kilgallon is gaining nationwide recognition and approaching a national rollout of her product next year, she told Orlando Inno.
Pink Lotus’ wearable child monitoring device POMM uses technology licensed from NASA to monitor the wearer’s vital signs, like temperature and heart rate, and track the wearer’s location. It easily can alert a parent or caregiver if it detects something out of the ordinary.
Plus, Pink Lotus is partnered with RapidSOS, software used at 5,000 911 call centers across the U.S. In the case of an emergency, POMM can send location data and health information to emergency workers before they arrive on the scene. This partnership not only adds a layer of safety for the POMM user, but also helps the first responders, RapidSOS Vice President of Strategy and Global Partners Jessica Reed said when the partnership was announced in August.
Pink Lotus enlisted a manufacturer in China to produce the first 500 POMMs, which will be sold in Orlando, Tampa and Miami in the company’s soft launch. The firm primarily will sell the products online, Kilgallon said. Plus, Kilgallon hopes to open up nationwide sales in January, she added.
In the meantime, Kilgallon will trek to Silicon Valley in October for the Women in Tech Festival. Her plan is to return with a lead investor for a seed round. Kilgallon has arranged six meetings with potential angel investors while she’s in California, and she plans to set up a dozen more.
Kilgallon said accolades she accrued in September may help her in her pitches to investors. They include:
- Named to Latinas in Tech’s Latina Founders list. The list highlights Latina founders who have raised $1 million or more or have the potential to raise that amount.
- Named to the 2021 Forbes Next 1000 list. The list highlights the top firms in the nation that are sole-proprietorships, self-funded or pre-revenue.
So far, Pink Lotus has survived without significant outside investment. However, it’s time for Pink Lotus to raise money as it scales up its production, Kilgallon said. “I’m not just looking for a check. I want people who believe in what we’re doing and the POMM product.”
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