A tired dad and his hungry infant led to a radical new baby bottle

It was the middle of the night and Ayal Lanternari was rushing to warm up three-month-old baby.

His son, Daniel, was hungry and there was nothing Lanternari could do to speed up the process. The only safe way to heat up cold water by hot water in a bowl of warm water – a process that can take 10 minutes or more.

"You can not do this, because it is a nutritious and nutritious property in the milk," says Lanternari, a biomedical engineer.

But like most new parents, he was tired and frustrated, and thought he had a better way. That's when he got an idea: What if he designed a baby bottle that spread out the bad milk into a thinner layer? Doing that would expand the liquid area, allowing it to warm up faster without damaging the nutrients.

"The bottle kind of conceived itself in my head," said Lanternari.

Instead of a typical cylindrical shape, the bottle is envisioned was round, "similar to the shape of a bad," he said.

Later that same day, Lanternari called his best friend, Asaf Kehat, and told him about it.

"My first reaction was something so simple and genius about it. It was an obvious solution, "says Kehat, who is also a biomedical engineer. "Ayal had thought of."

The two joined forces and spent a year conducting research and working on the design. Then, in February 2013, their company Nanobébé was born.

The birth of a product line

It would take several years before their product to market.

Nanobébé's bottles are stackable and are designed to reduce the amount of time it takes to warm up bad milk.

Lanternari and Kehat, who were living in Israel at the time, The results of this project are tested by their parents, nurses, lactation consultants and pediatricians.

"This was not just another product. Babies have been going to use it. So we had to be very careful, "says Kehat. Besides the efficacy of it, they designed the bottle with a modern, stylish look and made it easy for babies to hold.

Testing by the company's own R & D team, as well as certified lactation consultants and medical professionals, their bottle cut the milk's warming time by more than half to about three to five minutes. Conversely, the bottle's circular shape also fell as usual, says Lantenari.

In February, the company unveiled a stackable feeding bottle, selling it online at Babies 'R' Us and Buy Buy Baby Stores across the US. (Babies' R 'Us went out of business a few months later from Toys R Us' bankruptcy)

Lanternari and Kehat opened at US office in Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this month.

The two entrepreneurs picked Charleston because it was ideally suited as a distribution hub for both domestic and overseas customers. Lanternari, who recently moved to Charleston with his wife and three young children, says the city also has a strong pipeline of arenas.

But the company's headquarters are in Tel Aviv, where all of the products are made. Kehat has stayed in Israel to oversee those operations.

Although Nanobébé started with a baby bottle, the company has had a history of producing bad milk products. steam sterilizer unit, drying rack, pacifiers and warming bowl for bottles.

"Nanobébé DNA of functionality and innovation," says Lanternari. The bottles feature a hollow center which makes them stackable. The freezer bags can also be stored horizontally on top of each other to save space. And the bottles come with an attachment to a variety of bad pumps.

So far, the products have been a hit.

"Babies 'R' Us," says Lanternari.

Although the retailers' bankruptcy was a setback for the fledgling business, other national retailers have since picked up the brand, including Target and Wal-Mart. Nanobebe products are in 170 Target stores so far, he says. In January, the brand will roll out in 1,215 Wal-Mart stores.

Best friends since childhood

Lanternari and Keith grew up together in Israel and led parallel lives.

"We've known each other since," says Lanternari. "We are brothers."

Both are 39. Their parents were neighbors. They were clbadmates in school and went to the same university – Israel's Technological Institute of Technology – and pursued the same major.

After graduating, Mazor Robotics, where he was a clinical and sales manager for several years. Lanternari began with a career with Novocure, an oncology company that develops treatments for patients with solid tumors. He later worked for a company that managed engineering and infrastructure projects.

2013 to focus on Nanobébé. At the outset, they are given $ 100 of dollars of their own savings. But eventually they sought funding.

To date, the business has raised several million dollars from Israeli venture capital firms and InterTech Group, a privately-held holding company.

Nanobbe now employs 30 people and its bottle has won a number of industry awards, including TTPM [Toys, Tots, Pets & Mom] Best of Baby Award for 2018.

While the recognition is welcome, Kehat said the company's mission is to keep the products affordable for parents. Prices range from $ 22.99 for a 3-pack of bottles to $ 49.99 for a "starter pack" with four bottles, two pacifiers and a bottle warming bowl.

As the company expands sales globally – the brand is also available in Israel, France, Belgium and Canada – Kehat says Nanobébé's team is working ahead on other innovative products.

"To get this kind of pickup for our first product in our launch year was completely unexpected," says Kehat, adding that sales in just the first few months are "going amazing."

"Our innovation is not just for babies," he says. "It's for everyone's benefit – moms, dads and caregivers."