Veba on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost and how to buy smart baby bottle that tracks breast milk and formula expiry
CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA: The founders of Veba, developers of the world's first smart baby bottle monitor, will appear on ABC's 'Shark Tank' on April 5th at 8 pm to pitch the Sharks on their revolutionary invention, which continually monitors the condition of breastmilk and formula in real-time. Following Veba's acceptance into the Techstars Atlanta Startup Accelerator, the producers of 'Shark Tank' personally contacted husband and wife co-founders Sean and Veon to request their inclusion on the show.
Veon Brewster, Founder and CEO of Veba, shared her enthusiasm about pitching their life-changing product to the 'Shark Tank' investors on national TV. Most entrepreneurs may only dream of showing their ideas on 'Shark Tank', one of the nation's most popular reality TV series.
Fewer than 1% of the approximately 40,000 hopefuls who apply each year are chosen to participate in an episode. But for a dedicated Panther, that ambition has become a thrilling reality.
Rather than applying on her own to be on 'Shark Tank', as most prospective entrepreneurs do, Veon was approached by a show producer and urged to apply. In 2023, she participated in Techstars, the top early-stage venture financing accelerator.
The comprehensive three-month program gave her access to financial, human, and intellectual capital that would help her firm succeed. Leaders were delighted with Veon's invention and gave her early money.
They also told 'Shark Tank' about her innovation, which prompted Veon and her husband to tape an initial pitch. The following stage was an extremely thorough background check, not just for herself and her spouse, but also for their immediate family members.
Following that, Veba Baby was confirmed to be family-friendly for prime-time television, and Veon obtained approval from the 'Shark Tank' production crew to prepare their proposal. After being approved to fly to Los Angeles, where the show is set, they were warned not to discuss the filming with anyone.
One of the most unexpected things Veon discovered was that any entrepreneur scheduled to present might be removed at any time for any reason. This knowledge made the encounter more exciting for the couple because anything might happen.
There were no cellphones, minimal discussion, and everyone was nervous. When Veon and her husband arrived on set, they were shown to their dressing room, which featured the Veba Baby emblem on the door.
The producers conducted a short wardrobe check, removing any branded things, plaids, polka dots, or neon colors, as well as closely inspecting Veon's shoes and jewelry. When the 'Shark Tank' team was ready to film, Veon and her husband stepped gingerly onto the set.
They were instructed to speak while looking over the camera rather than into it, and to stand on their marks. The fact that entrepreneurs only get one chance to present adds to the tense atmosphere.
The 'Shark Tank' cameras will not stop recording if you stumble, slur your words, or make any other error. Veon and her husband were videotaped for approximately 40 minutes in front of the sharks, but only seven to eight minutes would be shown on broadcast.
On Friday, Veon and the rest of America will discover the outcome of her pitch and if the sharks have invested in her firm.
What is Veba?
Veon's child was an infant when she left him with her husband one Sunday, carrying a bottle of pumped breast milk. He was watching the Broncos, lost track of time, and forgot to put the bottle in the fridge.
That night, Veon asked a moms' group how they were monitoring their milk. It is not pasteurized. How can you tell whether it is still good? 200 mothers responded that night.
She witnessed a 148% boost in engagement from Facebook groups and made numerous transactions within an hour of sharing her story.
Veon, who works on a user experience team at a major digital company, put pen to paper to brainstorm an idea. While still working, she dedicated two years to research and development.
She and her husband introduced Veba Baby in August, a gadget that monitors the baby's time, temperature (higher temperatures increase bacterial development), and feeding frequency. The gadget is linked to an application. Using CDC rules, the gadget and app collaborate to give a notification when the milk is contaminated.
The Brewsters sponsored Veba Baby's development via a home equity line of credit. Veon was also accepted into Techstars Atlanta, which made it clear to her how much more difficult it was for her to collect funds than others in her cohort.
Who is the founder of Veba?
Veon, a full-time working mother of one, noticed there had to be a more effective and tech-savvy way to keep expressed breast milk and infant formula from becoming spoiled than depending on sticky notes and handwritten schedules, as she had previously done. Veba Baby was created as the world's first baby bottle monitor that checks temperature and expiration in real-time.
Veon is the CEO and co-founder of Veba Baby, where she oversees product strategy and user research. She has over ten years of expertise in developing products for one of the world's leading technology firms, Salesforce, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Veon holds a Master of Science in Global Strategic Communications and is now pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at Florida International University. Veon, like other mothers, struggled to manage breast milk expiration, but she wanted to protect her baby's health and nutrition.
Ultimately, necessity produced ingenuity, and Veon's maternity experience served as the inspiration for Veba.
Veon, originally from Jamaica's little hamlet of Discovery Bay, moved to the United States when he was nine years old. Her mother was a schoolteacher with high expectations.
Veon has had a lifelong interest in statistics and analytics, dating back to elementary school. Early in her career, she worked as a data analyst, looking at internet traffic and assessing how consumers navigate websites. This was the start of a career in the IT business.
Veon immediately recognized that it wasn't only the statistics that piqued my interest, but the human behavior behind them. This eventually led to her job in user experience research (UXR), where she delved deeper into digital interactions and what distinguishes a good experience from a bad one using human-centric design.
Her career in UXR progressed from investigating user behavior on websites to eventually heading the UXR strategy for product development at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Chandell Stone, Veon's primary mentor, has had the most influence on her as she faces new difficulties and experiences. As a fellow female founder of Color, she has offered Veon mentorship and counsel as someone who has followed in her footsteps and faced the same problems.
To date, Chandell has continued to broaden Veon's network by introducing her to significant individuals in my field regularly, but most importantly, she has been a driving factor in Veba Baby's board development.
Veon also has a podcast called 'Being Boss: Mindset, Habits, Tactics, and Lifestyle for Creative Entrepreneurs'. This podcast explores the mental framework and practices for achieving clarity, confidence, and progress as an entrepreneur.
What is the cost and how to buy Veba?
The Brewsters launched the firm in July 2021. The product became accessible to the public in August 2023.
Each Veba sells for $129 on the company's website or Amazon. On Amazon, customers have left reviews including, "Saw an ad on Instagram and got this for family as a combined Christmas and First Birthday gift for the little one. Everyone in the family loved how thoughtful and forward thinking of me this was."
Another person chimed in, "We use this everyday! It just saved us from giving our daughter spoiled milk so we had to leave a review."
However, some review also include, "Item does not work don’t waste your money on this device."
One fan further wrote, "It’s easy to use and I love that I get reminders when a bottle is about to expire. The auto feeding log is sooooo helpful with keeping track of how much breast milk vs formula my son is drinking. Great for new moms, especially those that can’t sacrifice wasting their breast milk."
A fourth customer noted, "We absolutely swear by our veba, especially my husband and babysitter for when I’m out!!!! Gives me peace of mind to know they know when my milk is still good, and I know exactly when babe was fed 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼."
Where is Veba now?
Veon plans to earn a $1 million seed round, bolstered by a great performance at the Consumer Electronics Show. The startup won a Top Choices award and is in discussions with a big store.
She continues to overachieve, doing all-nighters to get the firm off the ground, she claimed. In addition to herself and her husband, the firm employs a full-time developer and a staff of 22 contractors, some of whom she plans to recruit full-time using startup capital.
Veon wishes to have an influence on other mothers. She wonders why she is the first to market a product that appears to be popular among mothers.
She'd want to start a movement of "Mommy Showers" when the baby arrives.
Veon's next aim for Veba Baby is to mainstream access to lactation consultants and focus on providing mothers with the postpartum care they need, regardless of poverty or social status. That means women may talk with a lactation expert at any time and from any location using the Veba Baby app.
Moms can discuss everything from improving their milk production to treating engorged breasts. Veba Baby will become the go-to resource for postpartum mothers.
Who will steal the deal?
Since the Brewsters most likely filmed their segment around the time they launched their product, they are likely searching for a Shark to assist with client acquisition.
We feel that this pitch has the potential to create a Shark fight. Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec could admire the technology.
Mr Wonderful, aka Kevin O'Leary, who has developed a platform around the wedding business, may also enjoy it. After all, marriages are followed by babies!
Lori Greiner does not have children, so this product may not appeal to her, but it is marketable. Emma Grede has four children; thus, the product may appeal to her as well.
We believe Emma will make a deal with the Brewsters.
'Shark Tank' Season 15, Episode 17, airs on ABC on Friday, March 15, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Veba, Splash Place Swim Goggles, Hibear Co, and Richualis.
For those who miss the episode, it will be available on demand the following day and on Hulu. Additionally, viewers can explore past seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.