Five entrepreneurs pitched their ideas for various creative products at an event last week titled the Toolbox Pitch Panel that was held at and hosted by the Toolbox business incubator here.

The envisioned products include an electric bicycle, an automotive multitool, an LED-light safety belt for joggers, “smart” structural wall and floor panels, and a gutter system. 

Toolbox co-founder Tom Simpson says all of those presenting brought new ideas for products that are in the early stages of development and were looking to refine details such as costs and target markets. 

“These are all really new projects,” says Simpson. “It’s still very early on, but I expect that we’ll continue to be available to each of these individuals assisting them in thinking through the ideas they have for creating these products.” 

This is the first time Toolbox has hosted this event, which approximately 65 supporters and potential investors attended. The event also happened to coincide with a Startup Weekend Spokane event held at Gonzaga University’s Jepsen Center.  

“It just kind of worked out that way,” says Simpson. “However, it’s really nice to see the support the Spokane community has for entrepreneurs. We were very pleased with the number of participants at the event, both those who presented and the audience attendance.”  

Founded last February, Toolbox serves as a collaborative space for established companies and business mentors to share expertise, ideas, tools, and equipment with manufacturing startups and entrepreneurs. The enterprise, co-owned by Tom Simpson and Andy Barrett, is located in a portion of the former Habitat for Humanity ReStore building at 840 E. Spokane Falls Blvd.

The Toolbox team chooses various ideas for acceleration, assisting with a business plan, manufacturing a final prototype, securing financing, and forming a company. Access to manufacturing space and ongoing mentorship is provided to companies Toolbox chooses to incubate. 

Simpson says what is unique about the Toolbox Pitch panel event is that it’s geared toward physical products. “Many events like this cater toward tech or software companies, but we target physical product ideas,” he says.  

One of the presenters, Todd Beyreuther, agrees with Simpson’s assessment of the Toolbox event. 

“What is unique about Toolbox is this theme of intersection between the technologies and actual physical products. They’re not just talking about apps or other startup technology, they’re actively working toward manufacturing these products,” say Beyreuther. 

Beyreuther, a research professor at Washington State University, says his company, Mass Timber Systems LLC, has designed a new kind of building technology for making structural wall and floor panels from lumber.

“This is a new technology that’s meant to compete with steel and concrete used in tall buildings,” Beyreuther says.  

The idea has been slow to catch on in North American markets, because of challenges with building codes, particularly fire and seismic concerns, he says. 

“We’re trying to research those areas and overcome those barriers to get this product commercialized. This could be a renewable, locally sourced material that would really benefit rural economies in this area,” he says. 

Beyreuther says Mass Timber Systems is currently working with Berg Cos., whose executive director is Toolbox co-founder Andy Barrett, as well as other industry partners to launch hopefully the manufacturing of this product in Spokane. 

Another of the event’s presenters, Brendan Powell, attended to pitch his idea for the LED-enhanced running safety belt. 

Powell says both he and his daughter are members of the Flying Irish, a Spokane running club, and through their membership, he was inspired to create a product to keep runners safe when jogging at night. 

“It’s programed to change color and flashing speed based on your running pace,” says Powell. “I think it’s a product a lot of people might be interested in having, and in the end it might even save some lives.”

Powell says the pitch event was a first for him, as he hadn’t yet given a presentation answering questions about the product. 

“It was a good experience for me, walking people through how the belt works, answering questions, and getting feedback,” he says.

The presenters also included Elliot Sheridan, presenting an electric bicycle called the Surge Cycle; Kevin Creder, pitching a gutter system under the brand name Stormwood; and Dan Klier, who pitched a multifunctional tool for cars called Spare Me.