The business was also probably ahead of it's time. Since then, a number of specialty bag makers have added similar products to their lines, but they have the advantage of a distribution network already in place.
It's not a business idea that I would have had on my own, but I was glad to be able to help a friend get his idea to market. |
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We would create a system where a kid could come to the website, design a custom character, buy a physical action figure which we would make and ship, but they could also download the character and it would star in video games that he could buy and play... but that's not all... once the game engine was installed on the kids machine, they buy a machinema series that played like a Saturday morning cartoon, but starred their custom designed character.
They loved it. They funded six weeks of development, and in that time I created a flash based website where you could design a character and download it, a playable 3D game demo, and a simple machinema scene using the game assets. My partner created the business plan, did a ton of research, started outlining patentable features, and worked on the pitch. We started doing pitches and raised $130,000 in a couple weeks. That gave us the money to start developing content, hiring contractors and working with patent attorneys. During that time the internet bubble burst and any business based on the internet was poison. We couldn't raise any more money and the business fizzled. |