https://morfboard.com/
Eitan Kramer is an entrepreneur, actor, inventor, former professional inline skater, trainer, and Guinness World Record holder. He is the creator of the MorfBoard system, which was invented to bring action sports to everyone in a way that is accessible, simple, affordable, and fun — in a totally new and innovative way. Product licensing expert Stephen Key interviews Eitan about his experience becoming an entrepreneur and bringing the MorfBoard to market, including a Kickstarter campaign and a licensing deal.
The MorfBoard is a skateboard that not only converts into a scooter, but is also a balance board and even a bounce board for catching big air. Meaning children can test out four different kinds of movement, to see which they might like best, before committing to just one.
Today the MorfBoard is sold by toy company Jakks Pacific.
Eitan left action sports for the fitness world, where he discovered that people who were getting fit weren't loving it the way he knew other movers did. So, how could he bring his love of action sports down to a micro level so more people could experience it? You can bounce on it, balance on it, roll out on it — all movements that are functional and fun. If you can be developing skill while moving, he realized, the play element would be brought back into movement.
After raising $300,000 from friends and family, he did a Kickstarter campaign, but it failed, and he was devastated. He did everything we say you don't quite need to do at first, like paying for prototypes and patents. When he wasn't successful, his community hoped he would move on. But Eitan wasn't done. He realized his invention was a better product for kids instead of adults. With the MorfBoard, kids can experience a lot of really fun movement patterns without spending a lot of money on gear.
Stephen asked Eitan about why he decided to go the licensing route instead, and how he landed on licensee Jakks Pacific. They also discuss the nuances of his deal, like Eitan's level of involvement historically and today. Eitan has been extremely involved with his licensee, which he describes as fantastic and offering tons of support.
Eitan discusses the many new products he's working on, a couple of which are close to a deal. No surprise here: He loves outdoor active play products!
He explains how he is essentially doing project management, trying to push all of his projects forward. His advice for inventors is patience, perseverance, and play. Even when everything is on your side of the court, like ideation and design, it's still going to take a ton of time! He's been rejected so many times. And if you aren't playful with your inventing projects, it's going to be a lot harder to be creative.
Ultimately, he describes his motivation for inventing the MorfBoard.
You have to be persistent to bring a product to market.
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