News / baby products
Two Bristol dads’ startup that met royal recognition
It is said that “necessity is the mother of invention”. This is certainly true for Bristol dad Dr Nick Webb, who was trying to solve a problem faced by many parents.
In 2016, he realised his baby daughter Abby would not sleep unless her pram was constantly pushed, irrespective of time of the day.
Webb had his eureka moment when he built a prototype in his shed using parts from an old printer to gently rock a stationary pram.
He later teamed up with his brother-in-law Matt Dyson to found Rockit.
After 18 months of development with the Design Council, the Rockit Rocker launched in 2017 and quickly secured listings with John Lewis and JoJo Maman Bébé.
The company has since expanded into other products and launched a rechargeable Rockit in 2023.
Products are now sold in around 40 countries, and the firm recently celebrated selling its one millionth Rockit Rocker.
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Co-founder Matt Dyson called the success “pretty special” for “two ordinary dads in Bristol”.
He said he could not have imagined such global success and now regularly sees Rockit products in high street.
Dyson said: “To think that something created by two ordinary dads in Bristol has now helped more than a million families around the world is pretty special.”
The product has featured on BBC News and Vogue, becoming a visible brand in the baby sector.
“Meeting the future King was definitely one of our proudest moments,” said Matt Dyson, co-founder of Rockit
In 2022, it received royal recognition with two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, and the founders were invited to Buckingham Palace.
They met future King Charles III, who asked about their venture.
Dyson added: “Meeting the future King was definitely one of our proudest moments.
“It was incredible to talk to him about the product and hear his interest in what we’d achieved.”
Main photo: Rockit
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