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Erica Cole to pitch adaptive apparel company ‘No Limbits’ on ABC’s Shark Tank

March 26, 2022

Erica Cole, the founder and CEO of No Limbits, is getting the chance to pitch her startup to the investors of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ at the beginning of next month.

Cole, founded the company in Iowa in early 2019, inspired by the loss of a leg in a car crash a year earlier. She initially built the company while earning a chemistry degree at the University of Iowa, where she entered and won multiple business pitch competitions. In its early days, the company offered decorative covers for prosthetics before pivoting to make jeans with zippers on the legs to work around prosthetics more easily.

The company is fresh off an appearance at Runway of Dreams’ Fashion Revolution show in Los Angeles and was a recent winner of the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator program.

Now in its 13th season, the reality series has helped dozens of companies achieve breakthrough success, including many that have topped $100 million in sales.

“While I can’t tell you what happens, I can say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and Mr. Wonderful really is that scary,” wrote Cole in a LinkedIn post announcing her upcoming appearance on the show.

Cole’s appearance on the show will air on Friday, April 1 at 7 p.m. CT.

Previous coverage

No Limbits launches Kickstarter campaign for its adaptive pants made for amputees

Erica Cole wins both days of the Rose Francis Elevator Pitch Competition

Tags: No Limbits Shark Tank

1 Comment

Shawnna

Posted March 28, 2022 at 11:20 am

Could you fix the headline so her name is spelled right? 😐

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Erica Cole to pitch adaptive apparel company 'No Limbits' on ABC's Shark Tank | Clay & Milk

A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.

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