My name is Arik. I am an inventor, product designer and entrepreneur.
I studied mechanical engineering at university and I’ve always been creative in many different ways so the idea of of a corporate job never appealed to me. I also had an idea for this product and a vision of how I was going to bring it to life so there was no reason not to go for it.
What is your product?
I invented the Pebble, an automatic cable organiser for your everyday charging cables. What makes the Pebble so unique is that it is compatible with people’s own existing charging cables, and it winds them up using a spring mechanism so that it “winds in a click”. I cofounded Pebbl Innovations with my partner Holly, who has really brought the brand to life. What makes our company more than just a product is our social media, with constant updates, new designs, audience engagement, aesthetic reels and stories and real behind the scenes of running a student start-up.
What was it like creating a physical product?
Inventing the physical product was by far my favourite part of the process, despite the challenges. To date, I have designed hundreds of iterations, each with it’s own flaws and incremental improvements. after months and months I have arrived at a near-perfect design that both looks great and serves it’s function. Our audience loves the little things like the satisfying clipping mechanism to open and close the cap, the button click and the smiley face.
We recently released our second batch of pebbles and many have come back with issues such as the mechanism getting jammed or the spring not working. It has shown us that there are always more things that can go wrong, especially when outsourcing manufacturing. This feedback has allowed us to iterate very quickly, and has guided some pivotal adjustments to make the design even better and more durable.
How has social media helped you brand yourself?
Our brand lives and breathes on Instagram, where we went viral very quickly and have now got a large and growing audience of over 20 thousand doers and go-getters. We engage with them through comments, dm’s, polls and questionnaires. It has allowed us to create products that they truly work. Seeing which videos go viral has allowed us to capture what aspects of the product people care about and others that aren’t so important.
How has Basecamp Enterprise specifically helped you?
Basecamp Enterprise challenged Holly and I to pitch our product twice, first in the DEVELOPMENT stage and then in the GROWTH stage. This really brought us out of our comfort zone, where, as driven introverts, we would typically work on our project independently, and avoiding all interaction with others. Pitching encouraged us to consider and plan all parts of our business plan (not just those we were most excited about) such as a cost structure, partnerships and scaling. Pitching and winning both prizes was very rewarding and validating and gave us the confidence to go all in on the idea. The funding helped develop our product further and launch very quickly, whist the pro-bono legal advice still remains crucial to provide legal protection and mentorship.
The team running Basecamp Enterprise were extremely supportive and helpful throughout the process whilst allowing us the freedom to develop our company in any which way we saw fit. I would definitely recommend the New Enterprise Programmes to any University of Bristol students with an idea or simply an interest in entrepreneurship.
Interested in starting your own business?
- Check out our guides under ‘Starting a business and self-employment‘
- Apply to New Enterprise: DEVELOPMENT by Friday 2 January 2026 – applications currently open!
- Apply to New Enterprise: GROWTH by Friday 27 February 2026
- Have more questions? Email us at basecamp@bristol.ac.uk
