We’re delighted to help share the news that our clients at Boost Innovations have begun crowdfunding! Boost Innovations have created the world’s first “breathable and beautiful breast form”, a redesign of the traditional breast prosthesis available to women following breast cancer treatment.
Their idea came about because Sam Jackman’s mum was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment. Sam, the Co-Founder of Boost Innovations discovered that her mum found the traditional breast prosthesis to be “heavy, hot, sweaty and uncomfortable to wear and she didn’t like the look of it”, she explained.
After undergoing a co-design process that involved women in the design process, Sam and Rosie soon uncovered that many other women also felt negatively towards the nude, silicone based breast prosthesis that was the main option available on the market at the time. It was for this reason that Boost Innovations was formed and they decided to throw away the rule book and set about a complete redesign to provide a better solution, one which would give women greater choice about what sits beneath their top.
One of the ‘stand-out’ features of their new product is that it doesn’t try to look like a boob. This is because Boost’s research found that many women didn’t like the traditional ‘chicken filet’ appearance. Instead, their revolutionary take on the breast prosthesis offers a beautiful, colourful design which looks to “boost mood, shape and confidence”. Plus, the product has been developed to be lightweight, stay in place and is built to be both comfortable and breathable – all aspects making it “more compatible for an active lifestyle after breast cancer treatment” says Sam.
Boost Innovations have been supported on their innovation journey by the Acceleration Through Innovation (ATI) project, a programme led by the University of Plymouth, in partnership with Cornwall Innovation and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The ATI Business Innovation Advisor, Cath Parnall, who has been working alongside Boost Innovation on their ongoing project had the following to say: “It is a continuing privilege to help support such a fantastic product innovation, not only is it set to massively disrupt the existing market but it is refreshing to see a product that has been designed to provide women with choice by offering an alternative design that truly focuses on the needs of the end user.”
Boost Innovation have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from women that have trialled their unique design. Currently they’ve been able to produce a mould for one size of breast form and they are now embarking on a crowdfunding campaign to be able to produce a range of size options, to help get their product out to more women who need it.
To find out more about boost, watch their crowdfunding video and support their innovation journey, click here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wewearboost/feel-good-breast-forms.