NEW REPORT PROVES I KNEW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT ALL ALONG

The CB Insights 2019 Retail Trends Report Validates PopCom in a MAJOR way

When I got the idea to start PopCom (Solutions Vending International, Inc.) in 2012 as a smart hardware company with the focus on retail products MANY people, especially investors, ignored my efforts stating there was not a market or the opportunity was too small.

I knew from my work as Founder & CEO of shoe company Flat Out of Heels, that there was an emerging market of retailers who wanted a better direct to customer distribution solution. I was aware that hardware was not a ‘sexy’ investment, it’s capital intensive and often requires many iterations before the product reaches the market. I also knew that in 2012, the hardware and software on the market was not capable of meeting the needs of the retailers, so adoption would be slow until technology was up to speed.

I was fortunate to find one angel investor who believed in me enough to write the first check for $90,000, that was more than enough to get started, develop the business plan, the IP and MVP and wait until the market was ready. My rationale was that when people were ready to adopt the tech, we would have a product to sell.

I spent the next six years building hardware, running pilots, beta testing, failing, building again —…