Patrick Groft and his partner, Chris Larsen, are entrepreneurs who developed a flying disc called the Pocket Disc which launched the start of their company, Phd Productions LLC. The Pocket Disc is a lightweight, hand crocheted disc that is great for use as a Frisbee indoors and outdoors. Now they are trying to raise money through Kickstarter to create a new type of Pocket Disc – the Luna Disc. Patrick Groft told us a little more about this project and the city they have based their company in, Charlotte, NC.
Q: From the point of view of your potential customers, what problem are you trying to solve?
Patrick: There are light up discs out there, but those are hard—so they can hurt or break stuff when you play with them at night! The LunaDisc brings the soft indoor/outdoor safety and versatility of our original Pocket Disc to night play by using pliable LED wires that are crocheted directly into the disc. The original inspiration came from working our booth at Bonnaroo, where people love the Pocket Disc. But they love light up stuff even more. This is the natural evolution of the Pocket Disc.
Q: For whom do you try to solve this problem? Who will be your first customers?
Patrick: Our primary customer base is the Outdoor Retail market – hikers, campers etc. In addition, disc golfers and kids of all ages have all expressed enthusiasm for the LunaDisc.
Q: What sort of work did you do before starting your business?
Patrick: My partner, Chris Larsen, was a Sales Rep Manager at ABB and I owned a mortgage company.
Q: How long have you lived in the Charlotte area, and what are your favorite places here that only locals know about?
Patrick: I’ve only lived there about 1.5 years and my favorite places are swimming in Lake Norman and playing beach volleyball at Renaissance Park.
Q: How do you feel about being an entrepreneur in the Charlotte area?
Patrick: It’s a great city with a lot of talented entrepreneurs, many flying under the radar so to speak. But the opportunities are wide open, and from our perspective we can jump on a plane and visit major retailers within a matter of a few hours—or the villages in Guatemala where our products are made by hand.
If you are interested in purchasing a Pocket Disc, you can search for a retail location near you at Phd Productions’ website.
Also, if you are interested in aiding their Kickstarter campaign to bring to life the Luna Disc, you can visit their Kickstarter page here: http://kck.st/Lr6cck