GuPi
The ONLY portable cardboard laptop or monitor stand that fits your style and budget.
Our Idea
Who are we?
A university student that has suffered from severe neck pain due to the amount of time needing to do work on a computer or laptop.
A frequent customer at coffee shops to do work on my laptop.
A over packer that has backpacks and bags filled to the brim.
What are we offering?
GuPi pays respect to the inventor of folding cardboard boxes, Scottish born Robert Gair. “Gun Pian” which means No Pain in Gaelic, is why our product is called GuPi.
We are offering a collapsible lightweight laptop (or monitor) stand to relieve neck pain caused by looking down at screens, or sometimes referred to as “tech neck”. Using cardboard keeps it light, and environmentally friendly. GuPi will have ventilation to prevent laptops from overheating, and silicon texture at the surface to prevent any size laptop from slipping. We welcomed the challenge of utilizing cardboard by using modern designs and offering muted colors to offer a sophisticated solution rather than a chunky addition.
Who are we offering it to?
This is for my fellow students, and young professionals that are constantly doing work on their laptop, and have lifted their head after being hard at work to feel the chain of neck cracks echo down your shoulders. This is for the students that cannot afford to pay to see a chiropractor to help with their neck pain, the students who want to prevent pain later on, and those that don’t have the space to bring a bulky laptop stand on public transportation. This is for the young professional that want a sleek laptop stand that doesn’t make you get noticed for the wrong reasons at your new job. For the ones pulling late nights while practically living off caffeine to sustain them until they meet their deadline because they cant afford to have any set backs. For those that have wanted to stretch their legs and back, but couldn’t afford to take that break.
Why does that person care?
Because neck pain, like most pain, is hard to ignore and can disrupt work.
Because most neck injuries are not from falls but from repetitive strain and overuse!
Because bad tech posture effects more than just neck pain, but can cause headaches, upper back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, hand pain, and sciatica (spine putting pressure on sciatic nerve).
Our distinctive competencies
University student with many connections to people using laptops very frequently, typical tech neck suffers.
Have a old classmate that became an instagram makeup celebrity whose audience are predominately female teens to 20s with a following of about 100,000. (Used to be UofC Student)
Have a friend that is very active politically, and running for UCP candidate with many connections to the Chinese community.
Ability to have access to many opinions/testers that would fit close to the ideal customer persona.
The substitutes & alternatives
Plastic/Wood laptop stands that do not fold down or adjust.
Plastic/wood collapsable laptop stands that are expensive (100+) and usually heavy.
Levit8 a twist up stand that does not have adjustable heights.
Bulky cardboard designs without ventilation and either do not have any way to keep the laptop from slipping, or uses notches.
Our Pitch
Our concept pitch
Our personal pitch
The Value
Our first key person
Our first person is Mike, a college student feeling the effects of bad tech posture which is most commonly presented as neck pain. Our promise to them is to provide a cheap solution that will alleviate these symptoms and help prevent other symptoms from forming. We also promise Mike to make GuPi portable so that he can have good posture in any study setting.
Our second key person
Our second key person is Sierra, a young professional suffering from a tired neck from spending lots of time at her computer and occasionally her laptop. She cares because shes caught in a vicious cycle of having to meet deadlines, but meeting deadlines means increased neck pain. Our promise is to deliver a sleek professional option for her to adjust her monitor height at work, and cheap enough so that she can buy 2 and use for her laptop as well.
Our third key person
Our third key person is Rebecca, a travelling professional who don’t have the space to bring a large laptop stand, or the luxury to excess weight. She frequently does work on planes, and hotel rooms as she is often on business trips. In addition to the added strain when she naps on the plane, she suffers from regular back, shoulder and neck pain due to her doing work on the go. She cares because her body is already constantly put under stress from travelling, but the constant strain on her shoulder, neck and back raises her risk for a serious injury. We promise Rebecca a sophisticated laptop stand for her to easily fold and pack away, that won’t take up much space or weigh her down when she travels.
Your feedback and ideas
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