CHICAGO, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- International Home & Housewares Show, Booth L 11754 -- All Phil Davis wanted was a good shave. What he got, was a great idea, a company, and a wild entrepreneurial ride that has taken him around the globe and back again. Today, his company, iCubed International, is selling his idea -- the iWave Cube, a one-cubic-foot-sized personal, portable microwave -- in Sharper Image stores across the U.S.
But it all started with that shave.
"I was looking for a way to do a hot towel treatment before my shave," said Davis, whose official title is Managing Member of iCubed International. "I figured the only way I could do that was to have a microwave in the bathroom. I went and got a tape measure, and it went from there." Tiny but mighty.
From there, it became what it is today: the world's smallest patented, personal-sized, portable microwave that is perfect for a number of uses: in the bathroom to heat towels, paraffin waxes, lotions and more. In the bedroom it can heat gel packs to soothe aches and pains, or heat that morning coffee or tea without a trip downstairs. It's perfect for any place where space is at a premium: work or home office; home gym; family room; nursery; wet bar; dorm room; work bench; pool house. It features a built-in carry handle that makes it perfect for tailgate parties and picnics. It has all the electronic controls and safety features you would expect, and it plugs in anyplace that has a standard outlet. It's quiet, super-energy-efficient, measures just 10" x 10.5" x 12" and weighs only 12 lbs. The iWave Cube input is 600 Watts.
The story of how this tiny appliance packed with potential came to be, is an interesting trip, indeed.
Chance meetings and luck.
Davis had previous entrepreneurial experience developing a line of aluminum-free children's deodorant. But he had no knowledge of microwave technology or the appliance industry. He researched on the internet every night until he got to know the industry and the technology. A gentle nudge from a former Stanford classmate, as well as a chance meeting in a coffee shop with a Cleveland-area product designer, is what truly got the iWave Cube off the ground.
"When I told Mike Maczuzak that I had an idea for a tiny personal microwave, he said 'that sounds like a really interesting product,'" said Davis. Maczuzak is president of Smartshape Design Corp. in Cleveland. He eventually went on to help Davis with the original design of the iWave Cube.
Maczuzak was also in China, again by chance, and ended up being present at Davis' first meeting with Midea, a manufacturer Davis had, again, researched on the internet. It was at this meeting, with the assistance of Maczuzak's fluent Mandarin, the CAD/CAM drawings Davis had made with the help of another Cleveland connection, MAGNET (Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network), and the force of Davis' engagingly entrepreneurial personality, that the iWave Cube became a reality.
Fruition in less than a year.
Eleven months later, the finished iWave Cube product was shipped - which is break-neck speed for anyone who knows anything about manufacturing. It is now in distribution through Sharper Image stores and directly from iCubed International, and sales have been very good. This fact doesn't fail to delight and surprise Davis. "Getting the iWave Cube on the market was a great feat on a lot of levels," he said. "From a design standpoint, from a technology standpoint, and also from the standpoint that this was something, in the 60-year history of the microwave, that no one else had thought of doing." New markets for the iWave Cube seem to be opening up daily. Davis sees applications as diverse as helping boaters, RV enthusiasts, and truckers equip their vehicles, to helping senior citizens and the physically challenged by alleviating their need to go back and forth to the kitchen.
Imagination. Invention. Innovation.
For Phil Davis, the man who built a business at microwave speed, the iWave Cube is only the beginning. He has plans to extend his product line to a number of personal-sized appliances that are just as unique and useful. "There are three 'I's to this company," said Davis, explaining his company's name, and its mission. "The first is imagination. The second is invention. And the third is innovation. That's what drives us as a company ... we are determined to imagine, invent and innovate ... to do things the world has never seen before." The iWave Cube is available at http://www.sharperimage.com/, in SkyMall catalogs and http://www.skymall.com/, or by calling 877-492-8328. It retails for $149.95.
About iCubed International Founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 2006, iCubed International seeks to imagine, invent and innovate in the manufacture of personal appliance products that serve users around the world with portability, convenience, good looks, functionality, as well as increased productivity and comfort. It is with this spirit that the company approaches both corporate and philanthropic efforts, which include the development of programs aimed at helping those less fortunate, preserving the environment, and preserving the future. DATASOURCE: iCubed International CONTACT: Lisa Deutch, +1-515-321-1703, , or Lisa Kornblatt, +1-847-287-3533, , both for iCubed International
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