Jonny Cottom
Creating easy-clean drink bottles that remove barriers to sustainability
Creating easy-clean drink bottles that remove barriers to sustainability
Jonny Cottom started Breakbottle after becoming frustrated with how difficult it was to clean reusable bottles. This difficulty was leading many users to throw away their bottles and buy single-use ones instead. Jonny set out to develop a unique, insulated bottle that twists open at the middle for easier cleaning and quick drying – keeping bacteria and bad smells at bay.
With the support of the Young Innovators Award, Breakbottle has transitioned from an early-stage idea to a fully fledged product on the market. In addition to shipping over a thousand pre-ordered bottles from their crowdfunding campaign, they’ve also grown website sales and made a number of key retail relationships.
Jonny highlights the programme’s mentoring as providing emotional support and strategic insight, which helped them to get “out of the detail and into the bigger picture”. They’re also excited to remain part of the Young Innovators community with the Next Steps Award.
“The best bit has been meeting other entrepreneurs who are a constant source of knowledge, inspiration and motivation to keep going. It was really nice to give each other solace and support as we navigated the choppy seas of entrepreneurship at the same time, and could have a chuckle at our shared troubles,” Jonny says.