Today we’d like to introduce you to Addie Gundry
Hi Addie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Bio: Well, you could say I took a bit of a non-traditional career path. I was a physics major and dropped out of college to attend culinary school which really surprised everyone because I was incredibly academic. This was a big risk to take as a 19 year old especially because I had to self-fund this decision, but I knew with hard work it would pay-off. I had some not-so-glamorous roles working in three Michelin star restaurants and after a lot of hustle I started training under Daniel Boulud and then Thomas Keller. I left fine dining to work for Martha Stewart and while working for her I went back to school at NYU in the evenings to finish my bachelor’s degree. My entrepreneurial journey really began while working at an innovation consulting firm where I designed food and beverage products for large CPG companies. I then competed on Cutthroat Kitchen, which I won, and was a finalist on The Next Food Network Star (while pregnant).
I started working as a test kitchen chef, authoring eleven cookbooks and even appearing on QVC, breaking a cookbook sales per minute record! My son Cooper was born and I became incredibly interested in public changing tables after I had that ah-ha moment that you just saw me reenact. I knew this was a big opportunity. I continued to work full time in the kitchen while creating Pluie on my nights and weekends. I filed a utility patent in 2019, raised capital through friends and family on maternity leave with my daughter, Claire, (yes throughout this I had another baby!) and quit my job in early 2020 to focus all my attention on Pluie!
Pluie was once just an idea that I had when I was out to lunch with my son in 2018. We launched Pluie in 2021 but really started actively selling after a 2 year development period in 2022. Today, hundreds of Pluie Diaper Changing Tables are hanging on women’s, men’s, and gender-neutral restroom walls nationwide. Pluie can be found in 36 states and quickly growing traction across every market segment including retail, hospitality, healthcare, airports, stadiums, etc.
The innovation of Pluie and the need for our solution has been recognized by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea and TIME as a Best Invention. We are a Chicago Innovation Award Winner and recently featured on ABC’s Shark Tank Season 14, Episode 16 as one of the only commercial businesses.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Though it is just the two of us in terms of full-time employees we have a small of contractors from R&D, manufacturing and others. Given the state of the economy and rising cost of raw materials, our greatest obstacle for bringing innovation to life is cost. Hardware is hard!
It remains a bumpy road as we grow and scale but we are loving the highs and lows equally, as it makes us stronger entreprenuers!
We’ve been impressed with Pluie, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pluie solves a decades-old problem: public diaper changing tables are outdated, dirty and uncomfortable. That is, if they even exist in a restroom. Parents often leave a business to change their child in a car or go home to change a diaper. Many aspects of public restrooms have gone through innovation to make them cleaner & more convenient, yet the changing table has remained the same.
This is a worldwide opportunity, however, we are currently focused on the US. We estimate 85M restrooms in the world, 4M public restrooms in the United States that should have diaper changing tables. For every 1% of addressable market share in the US captured is $80M in revenue. We are on target to generate $1M in revenue this year, 2023. We are piloting with a dozen enterprise accounts including Starbucks and CVS, and as a B2B business with a slower sales cycle initially we have a clear line of sight to these national accounts exponentially growing our revenue. We operate lean at the moment and our intention is to be profitable as early as Q2 of 2024.
Our Brand Promise is to use innovative technology and beautiful design to create the cleanest, most comfortable and convenient baby products on the market. We are here to advocate for all parents and caregivers whether they’re at home or on-the-go. We believe in elevating public restroom design for enhanced cleanliness and convenience while providing businesses with a solution to better serve their customers. We lead with a family-first approach.
*Cleanliness, health and safety for everyone, everywhere
*Simplicity and convenience in products and service
*Innovation, technology, and sleek designs for the betterment of children and families
*Quality, dependability, and customer satisfaction
Parents have enough to juggle. And health and safety continues to stay top of mind for families. Finding a safe, clean, and comfortable place to change children outside the home shouldn’t be another thing we parents have to worry about. Pluie delivers businesses a unique opportunity to say to all their patrons – “we care”.
Cleaning is at the core of making families continue to feel safe. Implementing UV-C technology into cleaning protocols can help ensure confidence and consistency in cleaning practices, less reliance on harsh chemicals, and reduced time and cost servicing restrooms. Pluie is more than a changing table, it’s peace of mind.
We also focus on social impact by donating diapers every quarter to partners that distribute to local communities – organizations that are highly reputable and influential. We not only donate diapers we also raise awareness by sharing statistics across our social media and within our networks.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I love listening to How I Built This podcast. I am continuously encouraged and inspired by fellow female-founders, especially a few all stars in Dallas!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hellopluie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hello_pluie/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/addiegundry/
Image Credits
Ash Whitter
