People’s Champion finalist 2017: Wolffepack

Start-up name: Wolffepack
Founder: David Wolffe
Started in: October 2014
Based in: London
Business description: Patented backpack which allows the wearer to ‘swing’ the bag to their front without taking it off.

Shortlisted categories:

Crowdfunded Business of the Year, Export Business of the Year

The Wolffepack story:

18 years in the making, David Wolffe first had his lightbulb moment for Wolffepack all the way back in 1999 – and it’s a good thing his creative spark never went out.

Watching his local postman struggle with a crude grey nylon sack and rope, constantly stopping to get at his bundles of letters, Wolffe remarked to himself how inefficient, and ultimately painful, the process must have been – so he set to doing something about it.

Targeted towards commuters, travellers, photographers, skiers and outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who has experienced the frustration of repeated unstrapping, Wolffepack is an internationally patented rucksack that allows wearers to ‘swing stuff to the front’ while it stays strapped at the back.

Priding itself on being “the biggest advance in backpack design in decades” and aiming to “do a Dyson”, Wolffe, former group finance director of HMV Group, quit his corporate career to finally follow his business idea after 14 generations of prototypes.

Joined by a team of experienced bag designers and design engineers, and based in the Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre in North London, Wolffepack is available in four versions.

‘Capture’ (26 litres capacity) for cameras and access, ‘Summit’ (16 litres capacity), for snowsports and active access, ‘Metro’ (22 litres capacity) for urban use, and ‘Escape’ (18 litres capacity) designed for all-round use such as cycling and hiking.

Launching in late 2015, Wolffepacks have already been sold to users in more than 50 countries, via its website wolffepack.com and wholesale channels, with outdoor enthusiasts in Japan, Korea, the US, France and Australia paying between the £125 and £169.

Having run three successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, including the “Capture camera backpack”, which smashed its Kickstarter target in just 72 hours and went on to achieve over 400% of its funding goal, Wolffepack’s IP could see the brand have bags of success for years to come.

Why Wolffepack made our shortlist:

A Great British invention in every sense of the word, over 90% of Wolffepack’s business is now outside the UK – a sure sign of both its international appeal and ingenious design.

Where to find out more about Wolffepack:

Website: www.wolffepack.com
Twitter: @wolffepack