David Lyke and Lauren Barrera Reny, ESTEEM '23 | Tangler Wrangler

Describe your company: The Tangler Wrangler is a one-piece plastic cord wrap designed to make storing and transporting an electric vehicle’s mobile charging cord easy, safe, and convenient! It is explicitly sized for heavy-duty charging cables and features built-in storage to protect the plugs and an S-shaped slot that allows both ends of the cord to be unwound independently.

Why did you apply to Race To Revenue? What are you hoping to get out of this experience? David: I applied to Race to Revenue for the chance to work on Tangler Wrangler with expert coaching and the terrific resources of the IDEA center on the way!

Lauren: We were highly encouraged to do so and can't wait to grow our product development!

When is a time you failed forward? David: We failed forward with our very first prototype: it was way too big and heavy, but luckily we learned from listening to potential customers to improve the design.

Lauren: The first time I defended my thesis, it did not go well. I was given a lot of great feedback and adopted a fail forward mindset of taking this feedback and making myself coachable. I heavily leaned on my advisor and the next time I defended, it was successful and coherent.

Where were you born? What is an interesting fact about your hometown? David: I’m from Ripon, WI, home of Rippin’ Good Cookies!

Lauren: Los Angeles, CA - the City of Angels and not just known for its heavenly smog!

Would you rather go back in time or be transported to the future? David: I'd love to go into the future to see a world with lots and lots of Electric Vehicles.

Lauren: Future to see Tangler Wranglers contributing to world peace.

Who is the fictional character you have the most in common with, and why? David: I’m a lot like Doc from Back to the Future- always working on something crazy!

Lauren: Dora the Explorer because I gave myself a haircut when I was 5 to look just like her (I cried).

Fun fact about you: David: The waiter at The Cheesecake Factory told me he’s never seen anyone drink so much Diet Coke.

Lauren: The way to my heart is a matcha latte with oat milk (lactose intolerance sucks!)

Lastly, what do you want to learn more about, relating to business development in general or your own company/venture specifically? David: I’m excited to learn more about sales and how deals are structured.

Lauren: There are many unknowns when it comes to growing the company, I would like to learn more about how to market our product effectively and make it easy and intuitive for customers to use. This is about failing now, so that we don't fail later!