Olin grad students consult with local startup MOVEREZE

Shivani Jain, MBA ’21, wrote this for the Olin Blog.

In the fall semester, 2019, we, a group of four MBA and specialized master’s candidates, became a part of the St. Louis Impact Initiative (SLII), an organization known for “Bridging the gap: Empowering Entrepreneurs Together.”

It lies under the philanthropic arm of the BALSA Group, which supports first-time entrepreneurs in the St. Louis area by providing necessary support and resources to grow their enterprise.

We dedicated ourselves as student consultants to Karen Rogier, inventor, and sole proprietor of a unique product—the moving device by the commercial name of MOVEREZE. The name comes from the ease of gliding heavy boxes down the stairs.

Karen, our enthusiastic client, has a story of her own behind this bootstrapping venture of bringing the product to life. She was struck with the idea while helping her son and daughter-in-law move boxes from their apartment to their new home.

Using the MOVEREZE device, they were able to conveniently carry multiple boxes at once, saving time and reducing the effort of going up and down the stairs. 

Karen wishes to “bring her invention to the masses.” We feel energized every time we talk to her, and she responds with a refreshing attitude to succeed in this endeavor.

Our team performed extensive market research suggesting that there’s no such product available currently; its simple design and ease of use by any age group or gender struck a chord with the focus group during the product testing we held at Olin Business School last month. This patented product looks similar to a yoga mat, with handles on both the ends to stack heavy boxes and pull them down the stairs single-handedly beating the brow sweat.

It is crafted to provide long term durability and can be effortlessly rolled and stored in any corner of your house or car, not requiring a dedicated space and is hazard-proof. It’s worth a buy for those tough moving or shopping days. It’s even nice and warm picnic days when you want to carry heavy picnic baskets to your car or your child’s car seat or stroller down the stairs with ease even if you’re not a regular gym-goer.

Moreover, it’s a boon, especially for those of us who live by ourselves or in a building without elevators. We are currently helping Karen market the product and bring the business to life.

This moving device is now available to be purchased on the website and we are working to partner with other retail and online stores to make it widely available. Check her website to buy the device and show her some support by spreading a word about this wonderful product to your friends and family.

Are you an angel investor or professional and want to know more about this enterprise or support Karen in building her business through marketing strategies or social media promotion? Please contact us!