Mark Champkins

Please tell me about your career as a product designer.

I studied Manufacturing and Management (MET) at Cambridge University and graduated in 2000. After that I went straight to the Royal College of Art to study Product Design, which was amazing. There was a real contrast between the logical thinking required for engineering, and the lateral creative thinking used in product design. I learnt to draw, and notice things, and become more reflective – and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Whilst at the RCA I developed a range of “Self Heating Crockery”. The plates, cups and bowls that I designed instantaneously heat to sixty degrees at the touch of a button.

The crockery has a thin layer of a liquid used in exothermic handwarmers sealed inside. The liquid is food-safe, and when activated crystalises from a liquid to a solid and releases heat.

The really clever part is that it can be “re-charged” with heat energy and used again, simply by cleaning it in a dishwasher.

I won British Inventor of the Year in 2002 for the crockery and appeared on a number of TV programs including BBC Tomorrows World – which was great! I even met Prince Phillip, who told me that I have a big bulgy forehead.

Since then I have developed some production prototypes of the crockery, and a number of products using the same heating technology that I hope to introduce in the future as part of the concentrate range.

When did you start Concentrate?

I started Concentrate in April of 2004.

Where did the idea for the business come from?

After graduating from the Royal College of Art I was asked to stay on to conduct a year of research into how the design of school environments and equipment could help to improve standards of education in the UK.

During the project I worked with a number of schools that were moving from an old school building to newly designed one.

I discovered that quite often, despite the Government investing Billions of pounds in new school buildings, the absolute essentials for learning had been overlooked in preference of futuristic looking architecture and equipment.

It was not uncommon to find kids in a new school fidgeting on the same hard plastic chairs, with the same provision to water, and the same caterers, as in the old building. When you actually sit at the back of a lesson, or talk to a teacher, you realize that the kids are losing their focus for all the same reasons in the new building as in the old one! They are eating unhealthy food, are dehydrated and uncomfortable just as they were before.

The idea behind concentrate is to tackle these issues and design clever products that encourage behaviour and conditions that enhance learning and concentration, helping kids to get the most out of their time at school.

Thinking back to my old teachers I realize how a number of even quite small interventions and a little bit of encouragement whilst at school can really can help to change the trajectory of someone’s life for the better. That’s what Concentrate aims to do.

How much investment did you need to begin with?

One of the hardest challenges has been developing and manufacturing a range of products on relatively small budget. Three years ago I was fortunate enough to receive an award from NESTA for £35’000, which was a big break for me. NESTA have been tremendously supportive and have opened lots of doors for me. I’ve been able to bounce ideas off experienced business people and designers that I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to talk to.

To save money I have ended up taking on most tasks myself, from producing the website and designing packaging, right through to marketing and pitching the products. This has taught me an awful lot about the effort required take even simple ideas through production and get them to market!

The situation changed a little in the Autumn of 2007, when I went on BBC Dragons Den and secured investment from Peter Jones.

What are your hopes and dreams for the company?

My dream is that Concentrate will develop into a valued brand, producing clever products and services that will expand into different sectors. I can imagine a  “Concentrate Office”, that creates playful whilst productive work environments for business, or a “Concentrate Sport” that helps athletes and sportspeople to train and perform at their best.

It is really important to me to try to work toward something worthwhile – and whilst it sounds cheesy, I would like nothing more than to help people, even in a small way, to fulfil their potential.