The Real Innovation Awards – organised by The London Business School and held last week (November 14) – celebrated the ‘real heroes’ and stories that make innovation happen. The winners of six awards were announced, including the Judge’s Choice for the Alexander Fleming Serendipity Award, which was presented to Scrub Daddy.
Evo Lifestyle Products, which represents Scrub Daddy in the UK, collected the award on behalf of the brand’s president and Aaron Krause.
The Alexander Fleming Serendipity Award celebrates success sparked by an accidental discovery. Scrub Daddy was initially made as a hand-scrubbing tool for the auto industry but had no success. Five years after the failed product had been ‘retired’, Aaron decided to use it on a whim to clean his garden furniture. This time, the cool air temperature sparked a change in the polymer foam’s texture.
The discovery sparked a chain of events that led to a redesigned shape and newfound purpose in the kitchen. Scrub Daddy then went on to become America’s ‘Favourite Sponge’, ABC hit TV show Shark Tank’s biggest success, and now an international phenomenon.
Top: Evo Lifestyle’s James Trant collected the Alexander Fleming Serendipity Award for Scrub Daddy at The Real Innovation Awards in London.
