ISRAEL 
HIGH-TECH & INVESTMENT REPORT

from the July 2014 issue


The Doona retractable stroller

An innovative new product by Shenkar graduate Yoav Mazar might mean parents never have to use both: they can just use Doona, a car seat that turns into a stroller using a simple unfolding mechanism.

The idea for Mazar's product, which is named after his firstborn daughter, Danielle, came to him after he and his wife struggled time and again to load all of the necessary equipment into their car every time they wanted to take a trip with the infant.

They wanted their daughter to be safe - but they also wanted to avoid carrying both a car seat and a stroller.

So Mazar founded SimpleParenting, which describes itself as a "visionary company committed to improving and simplifying the lives of parents and their babies by introducing innovative products and solutions."

The first such product is Doona, marketed as a next-generation car seat.

"SimpleParenting's voyage began with my desire to create a safe and simple environment for the most precious thing in my life Ð my newborn daughter Danielle ("Doona"). When my wife and I had our first daughter, we felt the need to spend as much quality time with her and took her everywhere. While we understood the importance of protecting her, the day-to-day use of infant car seats and strollers was agonizing," Mazar said.

"From my small designer's workshop, I set a clear goal in mind: To transform the infant car seat into something safe yet simple and practical. This was the idea behind Doona."

The product, which comes in seven bright colors, promises parents peace of mind as to their babies' safety and comfort, as well as practicality and ease of use.

A statement on the company's website said the baby's position in the Doona stroller-seat "allows it to interact freely and maintain direct eye contact, thus facilitating its development" even in transit.

Doona is not the first car seat stroller on the market. But it is the first such product that does not require parents to disconnect the seat from the wheels whenever they want to use it in the car. Mazar's product is retractable - the wheels just fold into the seat, meaning nothing has to go in the trunk. When it's time to leave the car, the seat is unfolded and its handle, when pulled forward, becomes the stroller's push bar.

The product was found to conform to the EU's safety standards as both a stroller and a seat, and has been certified for sale there. "To the best of our knowledge, Doona is the only single product which meets the quality and safety standards of both European standards - ECE R44 and EN1888," the company said.

According to Gizmodo, Doona will be launched in Europe soon, with a price tag of just over $500. Once certified in the US, it will also be available there for a slightly lower price.



Reprinted from the Israel High-Tech & Investment Report July 2014

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