DooGood

DooGood is a social enterprise led by MBA student, Tina Chen. Tina received funding through ACT Now and is part of WE Innovate 2018.

DooGood fights both climate change and nappy rash by delivering 100% biodegradable, eco-friendly, leak-free nappies made with quality, sustainable materials straight to homes as well as notifying parents to change nappies via mobile alerts with advanced wetness indicator technology; so, join the DooGood mission, let’s do good together!

Tina talks to us about her enterprise, DooGood. 

Where did you draw inspiration for your enterprise? 

I have a two-year-old nephew, and I saw how many nappies he went through in a day.  So, I decided to perform some research on disposable nappies.  When I discovered how many nappies end up in landfills and learned about the harmful greenhouse gasses released, I drew inspiration from this smelly problem to create environmentally-friendly nappies.  Moreover, through talking with parents from my cohort, I gained knowledge on the criteria for picking which nappy brand to use, the most important being a nappy that does not cause nappy rash.  Thus, the DooGood Smart Eco Nappy was born.

What does the future look like for your project?

We are currently looking for design engineers and material scientists who have a passion for sustainability to join the DooGood team.  Once we develop a fully functional DooGood Smart Eco Nappy and start selling our nappies to environmentally-minded parents through our online website, we aim to expand our target consumer market and establish our trusted brand name in the U.K.  We strongly believe there is a growing movement towards using greener, reusable products in line with London’s zero waste goal by 2030.

How do you manage your enterprising project alongside your studies? 

Studying for a Full-Time MBA degree at Imperial College Business School while working on my DooGood project on the WE Innovate Programme at the Enterprise Lab has been a balance of time management and setting priorities and goals.  To successfully manage my coursework and entrepreneurial extracurriculars, I organise upcoming deadlines on my Outlook calendar to ensure assignments are due on time and enterprising project activities are submitted in a timely manner.  Overall, one must find time for what they love.

How has ACT Now funding impacted your project?

ACT Now funding is a wonderful source to receive financial support to build a website or create a functional prototype for social enterprise projects.  Through ACT Now funding, we can purchase materials to build our DooGood nappy and develop a user-friendly, interactive website that fosters a community of parents who connect with each other through their love for quality, sustainable baby products; the opportunities are simply endless.

Why should students take a chance on their own social enterprise ideas? 

I am so glad I’ve taken the chance to start my own social enterprise.  My entrepreneurial journey has been absolutely rewarding.  From when I first started my MBA to now, I have gained so many new skills in the entrepreneurial space, from pitching to funding to IP issues.  Furthermore, through working on DooGood, I have increased my awareness of climate change and the importance of reducing waste in landfills and nappy rashes on babies.

Imperial College offers an immense variety of entrepreneurial funding support and start-up programmes that really make our lovely campus the ideal environment for students to start their own social enterprise.  So, go out there, and bring your social enterprise from idea to reality!