Epilady
How the project came about
The idea came to Daar Et Al in the Hagosrim kibbutz in Israel - a kibbutz on the high plains of Golan that is concerned mostly with farming and animal rearing. The concept arose out of an electric machine used to pluck chickens, which was equipped with a large torsion spring. A series of small prototypes were made, which were thoroughly tested before being further engineered. Subsequently, the directors of the Hagosrim kibbutz decided to collaborate with a venture-capital company to finance the project and launch the product globally.
Before the creation of this product, women had to visit a beautician to undergo a similar depilatory treatment.
Our input
We came on board during the second phase of the project, when a new, smaller, re-chargeable version had been engineered. We invested directly in the project in partnership with the company and we dealt with the launch of the Epilady "Up To You" model.
The product has been a great success, selling several million units. The pioneering nature of this product meant that a range of multinationals worked hard to produce similar products that did not infringe the Epilady patent. As is unavoidable in a free market, competitors designed more modern versions of the product, filing new patents, but the Epilady was not slow to respond.
Our input came to an end in 1994.