How our startup caught the attention of Sir Richard Branson
Why mission matters.
Starting a company is not easy.
It is emotionally and physically draining. It puts a strain on your relationships and health. For the majority of the time it feels like everything is held together by snot and duct tape and might fall apart at any time. But every once in a while something amazing happens. The product finally starts working. You get feedback from a customer who loves your product despite the bugs. You close your round, extend the runway, and keep the dream alive.
I recently had one of those amazing moments. I met the iconic Richard Branson and shared with him my company’s vision for designing the future of prenatal care. The most amazing part: he thinks its BRILLIANT.
This is the story of my epic adventures to Necker Island to meet with Richard Branson and become part of the MaiTai Global family, one of the most badass group of people I’ve ever met.
The adventure started with a long journey from San Francisco to the British Virgin Islands. After a day of soaking in the beauty of the Caribbean, it was time for the first Extreme Tech Challenge event.
I hopped on a boat to head to Necker Island for dinner plans with Richard Branson.
Necker is Richard’s private island located within the BVI. He purchased it to impress his girlfriend (and now wife Joan) in the late ‘70s. So the story goes - he was living in NY at the time, he loved the BVI, and somehow managed to talk the current owner of the island down from $8M to $180k. The island itself has since been transformed into one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. A mix of incredible wildlife and beautiful design. Everything looks like it has been there forever, as if the island birthed it to be.
After a few drinks and catching up with the other contestants, we were invited to join Richard at the Temple. The Temple is Richard’s private residence on Necker. I was the first to walk in (no doors to knock on) and when I walked up the stairs, there was Richard Branson and Bill Tai (c0-founder of MaiTai Global) sitting on the couch chatting.
Richard immediately got up and walked over to introduce himself, which to me speaks to his character.
We spent the next few hours introducing ourselves and our businesses, listening to Richard tell stories from his life, chatting about the future of technology and innovation and its impact on people’s lives.
What amazed me most about Richard both from dinner and even more so from the event the next day is how extremely present he is. When he talks with you, he is dialed in and listening intently. For how much everyone is fighting for his attention, he somehow tunes it all out. He carries around a plain spiral notebook where he writes things down that interest him. I never once saw him on a phone.
There is a lot to learn from someone who can stay so focused with so much going on around him.
After dinner, dessert, a few drinks at a themed beach party that the MaiTai folks were throwing, and a super choppy and terrifying boat journey back to the catamaran, I crashed to get some rest for the big day.
The following morning, we were picked up early to head to Necker. We were greeted at the Big House with champagne and left to chill out. Lunch was later served on the beach. The fastest way to get down is by zip line!
The XTC finals were at dusk. I was the last to go on.
I had seven minutes to impress a star studded panel of judges. I rocked the pitch. I could see that I hooked all the judges (Richard, Bill Tai, Suna Said, Veronica Serra, and Charles Michael Yim) from the start. Suna was smiling the entire pitch and nodding her head. Richard kept rubbing his beard.
Following the pitch I fielded questions from all of the judges. Regulatory questions, competition questions, a question from Richard about whether this device could help someone like his daughter who recently had twins and experienced a pregnancy complication.
I was told by several folks that I clearly separated myself from the competitors during the Q&A.
Richard took the mic to announce the winner, congratulating all the finalist and semi-finalist for working on such fantastic companies. He started talking about Bloom and how what we’re working on is so important and can be revolutionary in how we care for pregnant moms. He was talking as if he was disappointed like we weren’t going to win. I’m pretty sure he was screwing with me.
In the end he announced Bloom was the winner! I think I managed to show every one of my teeth as I shook hands and accepted the trophy.
What started as a pool of thousands of applicants, was narrowed down to ten great companies, and finally three. On Necker, I faced two later stage companies: Sphero, a Boulder based company making robotic toys including the BB8 toy that was the best seller this past Christmas, and Giroptic, a French company that developed a very impressive 360 degree camera.
I believe our win speaks to the universal nature of our message and our mission.
Everyone has a mom, most have kids, and if someone wasn’t part of a difficult pregnancy, they at least know someone who had a difficult pregnancy. The opportunity we have to transform the lives of these moms as well as low risk moms just looking for answers clearly resonated with everyone.
“Being a grand-dude has changed my life, bringing me joy that I never knew was possible. I’m grateful to have Etta, Artie and Eva-Deia in my world and couldn’t imagine life without them. I therefore loved the concept behind Bloom as it simplifies the pregnancy journey, by delivering the latest in pre-natal technology straight to expecting parents’ fingertips. It’s a potentially revolutionary product that could save so many lives and make such a positive difference in the world.”
Before sitting down for dinner, Richard walked by me and congratulated me again. I gave him a big hug and told him how honored I was to be chosen. I also asked him what advice he might have for me. He pondered a bit and then said, “The best advice I can give you at this moment is to party your ass off tonight!”
He added that it sounds like we are doing all the right things and if we succeed in our mission, it will be game changing and will impact 100s of millions of people.
It was the last chance I got to speak with him the rest of the evening. It’s a conversation I will remember for the rest of my life.
Post dinner we headed back down to the beach and partied until 3am.
I followed my tracks back to SF and came home with a decent tan, new friends, an amazing story, and a new found appreciation for the need to get the hell away from work more often and connect with new people in interesting destinations.
If life is just a series of moments, these are definitely some I will keep with me for a long time.
Eric Dy is the co-founder and CEO of Bloom Technologies, a women’s health company designing the future of prenatal care. Follow along with Bloom’s journey on our publication, 40 Weeks. Or check us out at www.bloom.life
Recommend if you love babies, moms, dads, or start ups.
