UC Irvine startup company 123 Baby Box placed first on the 2 Minute Drill Amazon Prime T.V. show , which features entrepreneurs from different stages competing for more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. 123 Baby Box, a Wayfinder startup, is a subscription box curated for babies ranging from newborns to 36-month-old toddlers.
“I was honored to have won the show given the nature of the competition. I'm so glad the judges understood the value that 123 Baby Box brings to our customers. This investment will push our company to hypergrowth,” said Zarina Bahadur, founder and CEO of 123 Baby Box.
Bahadur plans to put the funding and resources she receives from the show towards growing her subscriber base, enhancing her marketing efforts and expanding her online and digital presence.
No stranger to success, Bahadur also placed first in UCI’s 2020 New Venture Competition, was nominated for Orange County Business Journal’s 2021 Women in Business Award and was most recently accepted into XRC Labs, a top retail tech and consumer goods innovation accelerator based in New York City.
“We become a part of mom’s journey during a critical time in her life. It’s our mission to provide value and convenience to her,” said Bahadur.
Bahadur’s idea first sparked while shopping at the grocery store and watching a busy mom shop with a newborn and a toddler. Bahadur, a serial entrepreneur and alumni of UCI’s Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship program at the Paul Merage School of Business, saw an opportunity to make parents’ lives easier. Bahadur recognizes resources like UCI’s New Venture Competition, mentors and the Wayfinder program as key elements to her success.
“Being able to connect to the Orange County ecosystem has always been helpful because when you start your own company, the resources are sparse and the network is small,” said Bahadur. “But tapping into the Wayfinder network and being paired with mentors who understand your industry and can provide you with direction has been really helpful.”
Shortly after her recent win, Bahadur pitched to OSEA Angel Investors, a private angel investment group driven by women executives and entrepreneurs, in hopes to secure a seed funding round.
After growing her business by 50 percent from February to March this year, Bahadur plans to expand 123 Baby Box’s digital footprint to more countries.
Learn more about 123 Baby Box.
Main Graphic: Kate Wokowsky
All photos courtesy of: Zarina Bahadur
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