Floridian Judging Next "American Inventor"
Clearwater, FL native, runner-up on "The Rebel Billionaire" and inventor of Spanx body shapers, Sara Blakely, recently spoke with the Tampa Tribune about her experience judging "American Inventor". She worked with Simon Cowell, George Foreman, Peter Jones and entrepreneur Pat Croce on the show's second season.
I remember being excited about "American Inventor" when it was first announced, but I only saw one episode. I was hoping it was about entrepreneurs and startup companies, but it was really about wacky inventions. As with all those reality shows, it's about entertainment.
This season sounds like no exception. As a venture capitalist, I see a lot of crazy ideas, but this quote sums up what we might expect from season two:
Here's a couple videos for all you inventors out there -- passion is critical, but it ain't everything:
UPDATE, 06-07-07: The brother of one of the AI contestants commented below and I liked the core idea. How can Greg make it a no-brainer for buyers? Enjoy the video via Jeff at Northstar Thinktank:
Related images: American Inventor, George Foreman, Pat Croce, Sara Blakely, Simon Cowell, inventions
I remember being excited about "American Inventor" when it was first announced, but I only saw one episode. I was hoping it was about entrepreneurs and startup companies, but it was really about wacky inventions. As with all those reality shows, it's about entertainment.
This season sounds like no exception. As a venture capitalist, I see a lot of crazy ideas, but this quote sums up what we might expect from season two:
"We saw a man who had invested $1 million to create a new superhero, The Cougar," Blakely said. "He showed up with his friend dressed from head to toe in the all-black 'The Cougar' costume. It was weird. Another man invented what was basically a wheel, and when we told him that it had already been done, he started yelling at us."
Here's a couple videos for all you inventors out there -- passion is critical, but it ain't everything:
UPDATE, 06-07-07: The brother of one of the AI contestants commented below and I liked the core idea. How can Greg make it a no-brainer for buyers? Enjoy the video via Jeff at Northstar Thinktank:
Related images: American Inventor, George Foreman, Pat Croce, Sara Blakely, Simon Cowell, inventions
Labels: american inventor, florida, george foreman, pat croce, reality tv, rebel billionaire, sara blakely, simon cowell, the cougar
Posted by VC Dan | 6/07/2007
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Comments (3)
There is a nice blow by blo with tons of photos of the show at http://inventorspot.com/american_inventor_episode_201
What did you think about the fire-fighters invention? I'm biased because it was my brother up there...I'd be interested in your insight. I've posted some commentary about him on our blog...
Thanks,
Jeff
www.northstarthinktank.typepad.com
Jeff,
Although I think there will be plenty of tweaks before a product ever hits shelves, your brother's idea is really interesting.
I worry about the "it will never happen to me" hurdle for buyers to spend money on this product. This issue plagues a ton of great ideas, relegating them to in-flight magazines and sharper image catalogs. That's not a terrible outcome for your brother, but he needs to find a way to make it a must-have and doesn't force people to choose between his product and the pretty/sentimental tree-topper they already use today.
Thanks for sharing -- I've added an update to my post for his video as well.
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