James Watt has invested £10k in personal care startup Cosi Care, after running a ‘pitch-in-a-comment’ competition on Instagram to promote the BrewDog founder’s House of Unicorns reality TV show.
Cosi Care founder Lauren Bell is now shortlisted to appear on Watt’s programme, where entrepreneurs will compete for a £2m investment.
Bell, who has suffered from chronic eczema since childhood, created a product range of steroid-free, safe scratching devices that mimic the sensation of scratching but without the risk of infection, cuts or scars.
She posted a comment on Watts’ social media post a week ago after he offered £10k to a business based purely on a pitch of a maximum 200 words in the comments.
Watt said the prize was to celebrate the announcement for his House of Unicorns show and said he was “about to do something no investor has done before”. “Blow me away,” he added.
The post garnered more than 3,600 comments, with Watt choosing Bell’s pitch as the winner for the equity-free, no-strings-attached prize.
“The mission is insanely compelling, and the execution is brilliant,” Watts said of Cosi Care when announcing the winner.
Bell added: “We are beyond thrilled to have won this investment and to have our business front of mind with James and the House of Unicorns team. This £10,000 will make all the difference in moving our fast-growing team into a collaborative new workspace, allowing us to continue evolving and innovating.
“If we’re lucky enough to develop further in the competition and show, the funding would be a game-changer in expanding our UK manufacturing operations, making it easier for our community to care for their skin everyday with the launch of skincare and electronic cooling devices.”
Cosi Care launched in 2018 with its flagship Cooling Scratch Star, a medical-grade device with “fingernail-like bumps and a cooling finish to mimic the sensation of scratching”. The brand also makes a range of other products, including a ‘Scratch Attack’ roller, a scalp scratcher and a puffer itch roller.
House of Unicorns is set to air later this year, with entrepreneurs needing to submit a 10-slide pitch deck for a chance to be on the show.
Cosi Care’s winning Instagram comment:
“Imagine not being able to comfort your child when they’re in pain? That was the case for my parents. My name is Lauren, and I founded Cosi Care after watching my little brother, Rhys, battle eczema for over 20 years. He scratched his skin until it bled, resulting in scars, multiple life-threatening infections and the deterioration of his mental health. Rhys is not alone. 20% of the population will suffer with chronic itch at some point in life… due to conditions like eczema, psoriasis, hives, liver disease, diabetes. The list is endless. We are the only company in the world that creates safe scratching medical devices, offering instant cooling relief… without the damage of scratching with dirty fingernails. We invented the viral Scratch Star, with a long list of products to follow. We are changing how the world manages itchy skin, it’s time to outmatch the scratch.”
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