FoundHER Ironing & Innovation 🧼👕🧺💡
Hello CWBS,
Happy January! We hope everyone had a restful break! We are super excited to share this month’s issue of The Scope featuring Annabel Love, the Co-Founder and COO of Nori, a female-founded clothing care brand selling innovative products designed to upgrade your laundry routine. Their viral hero product, the Nori Press, is a next-generation steam iron that takes inspiration from a hair straightener.
Hope you enjoy reading!
Best,
Alexandra Ouzounian, Platform & Outreach Chair, 2024-2025
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WOMAN OF THE SCOPE - spotlighting members of The Scope Community
“Hi everyone, my name is Olivia Kim, and I am a junior and student-athlete attending Columbia College majoring in Economics! I am in the Professional Development committee this year and I am currently enjoying getting closer and discussing ideas with my fellow committee members. Everyone is so kind and open, and I look forward to working hard with them to be able to host some fun events this year!
Regarding finance recruiting, I found out about finance and investment banking much later than the average person going into finance. Still, I always had a wonderful support system and everyone I have reached out to for advice and help has always been there to extend words of wisdom that have motivated me to learn more about the industry. As a college student-athlete, I learned to use my resources, as there is a vast network of athletes working in finance, and I was first introduced to the finance industry through a case-competition program for college student-athletes when I was a freshman. From there, my interest in finance, particularly investment banking, sparked, as my team’s mentor during that program was currently working in investment banking. After that, I took the time to try to teach myself some technical skills, reach out to people to learn more about what finance was about, and apply to internships. Investment banking recruiting definitely was pretty stressful at times as there was a lot to do and apply for, but everyone I talked to was candid about their experiences. I applied to the RBC Women’s Advisory Program for the fall of my sophomore year and was lucky enough to get in. In that program, I was still unsure of what financial career path I wanted to pursue, so I talked to multiple employees at RBC and they provided me with their advice and experiences that helped guide me through my decision-making process. Everyone I met at RBC was knowledgeable and even when I did not know much about banking at that time, they treated me with respect and taught me things so that I could learn them with ease. I hope to provide this level of comfort to others, so please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you have about recruiting!
My advice for finance recruiting would be to go after and try to make opportunities, keep an open mind to learn as much as you can, and make genuine connections with people. I think it is so important to create that real connection with the people that you network with, because at the end of the day, bankers, and everyone else who have jobs, are just people, and they want to get to know you for who you are. I know recruiting can be a big time commitment, but putting in that work to learn about the markets and getting to know people will help you grow that passion for finance. To reduce any possible stress, I would say to just take it one step at a time, be consistent, and make sure to lean on your support system! I am so grateful that I found like-minded, goal-oriented people with positive growth mindsets who were willing to help me, and this is one of the main reasons why I chose RBC. I am so excited for this upcoming summer as I will be working with them as a summer analyst, and I encourage people looking into finance to find their people as well. I wish the best of luck to everyone looking into pursuing financial careers and hope that you find your fit just as I did!”
“Entrepreneurship can seem really risky, but it doesn’t have to be all that scary. You can take smart and strategic steps to de-risk the process.” - Annabel Love
Annabel Love is the Co-Founder and COO of Nori . Nori is a female-founded clothing care brand selling innovative products designed to upgrade your laundry routine. Their viral hero product, the Nori Press, is a next-generation steam iron that takes inspiration from a hair straightener.
What was your “aha” moment that made you realize this could be more than just an idea and actual business concept?
Nori is the direct result of a personal painpoint! Courtney and I had just started our professional careers in NYC and would wake up in these tiny New York apartments with a lack of space for an ironing board, a lack of time to deal with a leaky and inefficient steamer, and a lack of funds to pay for dry cleaning. Instead, we would use the hack of ironing clothes with a hair straightener. This DIY solution sent us on a 2+ year journey to create a better way to iron our clothes inspired by the hair-straightener method.
Building a brand from the ground up can be overwhelming. Are there any key mentors or resources that helped guide you through the process?
Mentorship is crucial at the beginning stages of a start-up. Everyone in the Entrepreneurship community is incredibly welcoming and wants to help aspiring Entrepreneurs. I remember when we were first getting started- we really looked up to Glossier. We sent the CEO of Glossier a thoughtful email and got a response back in minutes. She taught us the importance of building a memorable brand and community.
Currently, we have some incredible advisors, including Dave Heath (the CEO of Bombas), Rachel Zoe, and Yeti Capital.
What have been some of the best pieces of advice that you've received from some of those mentors?
The best piece of advice we’ve received is to create an efficient marketing stack because we’re not just an iron company—we’re a marketing company selling irons. We created a product that was inspired by real consumer needs, but building a strong and meaningful brand is just as important.
Entrepreneurship and quitting one’s job is a big risk – how did you know the time was right?
Entrepreneurship can seem really risky, but it doesn’t have to be all that scary. You can take smart and strategic steps to de-risk the process. Both Courtney and I graduated, took full-time jobs, and worked on Nori tirelessly after work and on weekends.
The minute we received the Nori Press prototype sample we knew it was time to quit our full-time jobs and move full steam ahead into product development.
Can you talk a little bit about the product development/engineering process of Nori? How did you learn the technical aspects of hardware?
Both Courtney and I were Communication majors with absolutely no background in hardware. We had no idea how to create an iron or a steamer. However, we knew that there was a need for this product so we immediately got started with product development.
We interviewed over 20 design and engineering firms before deciding to move forward with one that had specific experience in creating irons and steamers—products similar to the Nori Press.
We interviewed hundreds of potential customers, listened to their frustrations with current market solutions, and understood what features they wanted incorporated into the device. Then we took that information to our engineer and really challenged our engineer to push the boundaries.
Our engineer at first probably thought we were a little crazy, but he also completely understood our vision, and we credit him for allowing us to push those boundaries and create a brand new handheld steam iron built for this next generation.
Nori is sold in major retailers including Crate and Barrel, Revolve, William-Sonoma, Revolve, Bloomingdales, etc. Can you talk about your journey getting Nori into major retailers?
We launched three years ago as a completely direct-to-consumer brand and we were the first digitally native iron to enter the market. Since then, we've expanded into other channels, including Amazon, as well as The Container Store, Williams-Sonoma, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and Crate & Barrel.
When we first launched, we hired our incredible head of PR named Gabby. Gabby got us a lot of amazing press right out of the gate—we were featured on Oprah's Favorite Things and had a full feature in Vogue. We were everywhere in various press publications.
Due to these press placements and the traction we were gaining on Instagram, we were lucky that we had a lot of inbound requests from mass retailers. We also were not scared of a cold email and researched buyers and sent them thoughtful emails pitching Nori.
Who is the primary target audience for Nori, and what feedback have you received from users?
The primary target audience is 25 to 35-year-old females living in urban areas where they don’t have space in their apartments for a massive, clunky ironing board. However, they still want to achieve a wrinkle-free and polished look. The best part about the Nori Press is that you can steam, press, and iron your clothes without an ironing board.
They also love the six fabric-specific heat settings. With a traditional iron, you have to guess the right temperature for linen or cotton. We take the guesswork out of the process by labeling each fabric setting with the correct temperature, making it incredibly user-friendly.
Lastly, people love that the Nori Press is travel-friendly. It’s compact, works internationally, and fits easily in a carry-on.
Are there any innovations in fabric care or portable technology that excite you and could shape the future of Nori?
We dream of Nori becoming this next-generation clothing care brand that inspires consumers to invest in nicer garments because of confidence in the tools they have to care for them! We hope capsule wardrobes replace fast fashion and the mass market turns to Nori for products ranging from irons, steamers, hampers, fabric shavers, etc.
Right now, we have our handheld steam iron, the Nori Press, the Nori Trim (a fabric shaver), a hamper, and other accessories for the Nori Press. The opportunities are endless for future products!
What has been the most rewarding part of starting your own business?
The most rewarding part is that I get to work alongside my best friend. Courtney and I have been best friends for almost 10 years. It’s really fun to be on this journey with her and innovate in a space that was in desperate need of fresh ideas. There is no one else I would rather experience the highs and lows of entrepreneurship with!
What are your goals for 2025? How do you see yourself expanding and innovating in the fast-paced start-up market today?
In 2025, we’re expanding with different retail partners and making significant strides in the wholesale category. We are also excited to work on product development and create exciting and innovative products!
Quick Takes:
If you had to describe your brand/ Nori in three words, what would they be? Clever, Innovative, and Unique
Female founder you look up to?
Sara Blakely
Besides the famous Nori Press, what is your favorite Nori product?
The Nori Trim especially during these colder months!
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