Female Founders We Love: Lindsey Laurain
One of our favorite collections that we sell on our Monica + Andy marketplace is EZPZ Starting Solids collection! So many of our customers are in the stage of parenthood where your little ones are beginning to taste test some big kid food. The EZPZ collection is the perfect way to introduce your little one’s to all the flavors this world has to offer, in a fun and colorful way.
Lindsey Laurain is the founder of ezpz and a wife / mom to three wonderful, wild boys who serve as her inspiration. Lindsey never imagined she'd leave corporate America and become an entrepreneur, but the 8-year journey has been phenomenal (and tiring). ezpz is woman-owned and women-run, self-funded, and the team has bootstrapped their way to success.
Back in 2014, Lindsey and her husband had three boys under the age of three, and they were fed up with the messiness and cleanup time dedicated to each meal. Lindsey scoured the marketplace to find a plate that the boys couldn’t tip or toss, and she couldn’t find a solution. So, she decided to make it herself. That is how the Happy Mat (the original all-in-one placemat + plate that suctions to the table) came to be!
After launching the Happy Mat on Kickstarter, Lindsey wanted to address the lack of innovation and safety standards in the juvenile feeding space. She believed babies and toddlers (+ parents!) deserved better. With that, ezpz’s focus expanded to not only making mealtime less about mess, but also about helping babies, toddlers and school-aged children meet key mealtime milestones safely and successfully. With the help of ezpz’s Feeding Specialist, Dawn Winkelmann, ezpz launched products that are thoughtfully designed, rigorously tested, and tailored to a specific feeding developmental stage / age group. These products include a range of mat-based products as well as the Tiny Cup and Tiny Spoon (for infants), Mini Utensils and Mini Cup + Straw Training System (for toddlers) and Happy Utensils and Happy Cup + Straw System (for preschoolers).
In summary, since launching in 2014, ezpz has revolutionized the feeding industry with thoughtfully designed, developmentally focused feeding products for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. These products have won numerous awards and garnered significant press, including Shark Tank, The View, and The Today Show. ezpz products can be found in over 1500 U.S. stores (including buybuyBaby, Nordstrom, Target and Crate&kids) and 55 countries.
We sat down with Lindsey to hear a little bit more about their company…
Q: Can you tell us a bit about what you do?
A: ezpz is the leading developmentally focused feeding company within the juvenile space, and we provide mealtime solutions for first foods all the way to independent eaters.
Q: How would you describe your brand in three words?
A: Innovative, thoughtful, and safe.
Q: What do you want M+A marketplace shoppers to know about your products?
A: From baby’s first food to feeding independence, ezpz understands the challenges parents face and provides the tools to support a positive feeding experience. All ezpz products are created to help babies and toddlers meet key developmental milestones while making family mealtime less about mess and more about fun! In addition, ezpz's products are made from top-of-the-line materials, including nylon and silicone that are free from BPA, BPS, latex, lead and phthalates. ezpz products are designed by experts (and tested by moms) to set little ones up for safety and success as they practice – and achieve – mealtime milestones.
Q: What about the future of your brand are you most excited about?
A: Innovation, innovation, innovation! We love innovating and creating new solutions for parents + kiddos that are thoughtful and safe. The design process is genuinely fun, and we love being able to truly make a difference in peoples’ lives. It's very humbling when people love the new products as much as we do.
Q: What's your day-to-day like - being a mom and running an amazing business?
A: Chaos, multitasking and more chaos. Luckily our boys are older now, and the ezpz team is small (and truly like a family) so everyone is understanding about personal obligations / priorities. We are a remote team as well, which makes the balance a little easier.
Q: What inspired you to start ezpz?
A: ezpz was truly created out of necessity. Back in 2014 we had three boys under the age of three, and we were fed up with the messiness and cleanup dedicated to each meal. I scoured the marketplace and couldn't find a plate the boys couldn't tip or toss, so I created it. And that is how the Happy Mat (the original all-in-one placemat + place that suctions to the table) came to be!
