Member Article

Manchester graduate launches rucksack business with help of crowdfunding

A Manchester graduate has created a brand new type of rucksack and raised the money via crowdfunding to go into production.

A campaign on Kickstarter to raise £29.7k has resulted in £52.5k being raised in just a few short weeks.

The company will create its first batch of bags in February and launch a website where people can purchase exclusively online in the summer of 2015.

While Sarah Giblin isn’t planning on taking on any employees any time soon, she has worked with a prototype company, D2M innovation based in Cheltenham and a patent attorney.

Her plan is to continue to work with other businesses whenever she has a need.

The original goal would have allowed for the creation of 1000 Riutbags, plus shipping, the extra money raised is going towards making extra bags.

Sarah has had many jobs and lived in quite a few places.

The one constant theme was that she used a backpack and she was fed up with people behind her on crowded trains having better access to her things than she did.

This problem led to the creation of the Riutbag.

A bag with all the zips facing towards the user instead of the general public.

The plan is to make bags “cooler and more techy”, eventually incorporating 4D programmable materials into the designs.

Sarah said that “there are two things I’m obsessed with, urban problems and the way that people interact with them.

“I just want people to be relaxed in an urban environment instead of constantly checking their bags to see that all their important things are safe.”

She continues, “I’m just a rucksack user who saw a problem with it.

“It’s a very normal rucksack, just the ‘Riut’ way round.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .