Luke Barkley Young, Founder of Outlines, a circular subscription for home essentials, pitches his vision for a recyclable shower curtain. The podcast discusses Outlines' circular subscription model, user experience and the environmental impact of their products. They also touch on the Grit Freedom Chair, investor concerns, and revenue projections.
Outlines aims to address plastic waste and low recycling rates by taking full responsibility for the products they put into the world, offering a circular subscription model that focuses on responsible recycling.
Outlines prioritizes sustainability by considering material composition, shipping distance, and environmental impact, using non-toxic and premium materials for their products, with a goal of building a category-defining brand in the sustainable consumer goods market.
Deep dives
Outlines: Pioneering Circular Subscription and Recycling
Outlines is a startup that offers a new circular subscription model, focusing on responsible recycling. It started with a recyclable shower curtain, taking into account trends like circularity, subscription, and sustainability. Outlines aims to address the issue of plastic waste and low recycling rates by taking full responsibility for the products they put into the world. They provide a frictionless process for users, offering a prepaid mailer for returning old products and handling the recycling. Since its launch, Outlines has sold over 5,000 units of the shower liner, with an impressive 75% of users subscribing to recurring deliveries. They are now raising a million dollars to launch five new products and expand their user base.
Designing Sustainable Replenishable Products
Outlines focuses on developing products that require replacing, starting with home essentials like shower liners, dish scrubbers, and toilet brushes. They prioritize sustainability by conducting life cycle analyses, considering material composition, shipping distance, and environmental impact. Outlines is committed to using non-toxic and premium materials for their products. They aim to create a hassle-free experience for users, with products designed for easy replacement and improving daily routines. By addressing customer pain points and delivering high-quality replacements, Outlines aims to build a category-defining brand in the sustainable consumer goods market.
Expanding Partnerships and Building a Replenishment Destination
As Outlines grows, they plan to partner with select and curated brands to expand their product offerings. By collaborating with other companies that align with their sustainability goals, Outlines can offer a wider range of replenishable products to their subscribers. They envision becoming a one-stop destination for all home replenishment needs, ensuring responsible and sustainable practices. Outlines also views potential partnerships with larger companies like LG and Samsung to simplify the replacement process for items like fridge filters. By making replacements easy and sustainable, Outlines aims to disrupt and redefine consumer replenishment.
Investment and Future Growth
While some investors questioned Outlines' focus on product design and manufacturing, others recognized the potential of its direct-to-consumer model. The lead investor, Sarah Cone, sees the potential of applying successful SaaS business models to consumer goods. With an exceptional subscription rate and impressive metrics, Outlines has shown promising growth. They are currently raising a million dollars with a six million dollar cap, aiming to use the funds to launch new products, expand their systems, and acquire new users. The investment from Beck Bamburger and potential syndicate participation present opportunities for further growth and market penetration.
Luke Barkley Young was tired of two things: companies that don’t take responsibility for products they put in the world and moldy shower liners. So he created Outlines, a circular subscription for all your home essentials. Their first product is a recyclable shower curtain. But it’s a rough environment out there for direct to consumer products. Will the VCs invest in Luke’s big vision for replenishables – or would that just be pouring money down the drain?