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Sugru co-founder Jane ní Dhulchaointigh

This Irish woman raised €5 million for her sticky rubber that can fix nearly anything

Sugru will be valued at almost €40 million after the crowdfunding effort.

MOULDABLE GLUE COMPANY Sugru has raised almost €5 million from investors five years after its products first went on sale.

The UK-based firm, co-founded by its Irish inventor, Jane ní Dhulchaointigh, pulled in £3.55 million (€5 million) on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube.

In return for the investment Sugru will hand over a 13% stake in the company, assuming all 2,700 investor bids come through, valuing it at about £27 million (€38 million) after the fundraising drive.

It raised more than three times its planned investment in the campaign and smashed equity funding records with the largest single investment of £1 million and widest international reach of 68 countries.

RED-blob

Ní Dhulchaointigh started the company about 10 years ago after experimenting with mouldable silicone while studying product design in London.

The crowdfunding campaign truly reflects most projects at Sugru: hard work, team spirit, customer interaction, loads of fun and a few record-breaking moments,” she said.

timeline-c055134d06db909fbb19d850ac57b59c A timeline of Sugru's development

Click here for a larger version

Expanding rubber

The finished Sugru product, which first went on sale in 2010, sticks permanently to materials like ceramic, glass and metal. It was named among Time magazine’s top 50 inventions the same year.

Out of the pack it can be shaped like putty, but within a day it hardens into flexible silicone rubber.

Sugru YouTube YouTube

The product is waterproof when cured and works at temperatures from well below freezing to above boiling point, and can be used as a sealant, as an adhesive or for rubberised grip.

The company, which manufactures the rubber in east London, plans to expand into more retail outlets across Europe and the US with the money raised.

It has already started selling in major retailers like Target and expects its products to be in 10,000 stores by the end of the year.

READ: The government is trying hard to lure foreign startups to Ireland >

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22 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sam Bartell
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:09 PM

    Clever stuff

    407
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    Mute Emachine
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:25 PM

    I’d love to see the yanks tackle her surname.

    278
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:19 PM

    I bought it a few years ago and it is excellent. Fixed mudguard on bike, dishwasher handle and camera holder. Better than new fixes

    218
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    Mute Symbolism
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:23 PM

    At last an expanding rubber

    133
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    Mute Patrick J O'CONNOR
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    Jul 13th 2015, 5:08 PM

    Fantastic! That’s the way to make money. Far better than trying to sell babies in shopping arcades!

    121
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    Mute Brian Flanagan
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:53 PM

    Works very well. You can keep unused packs in fridge for about a year.

    56
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    Mute Agrippa
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:45 PM

    Where can u buy it

    51
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    Mute Peter McKenna
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:50 PM
    39
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    Mute Pearse Mc Mullen
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    Jul 13th 2015, 5:12 PM

    I`m gonna email them and see if they`ll do me a deal on 1000 sticky rubbers,
    Just because i always wanted to write an email like that, and actually get away with, it rather than being reported ;-)

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    Mute Clinton Daly
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    Jul 13th 2015, 11:17 PM

    love it

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    Mute Dave Mac
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    Jul 15th 2015, 2:15 AM

    Haha. Brilliant. Let us know if they get back to you. I wonder would cop into the real message behind it. Haha

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    Mute B Collins
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    Jul 13th 2015, 8:32 PM

    I’ve used it plenty times and it’s Rey excellent. The sugru site provides a great list of hacks. Some of them are ingenious.

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jul 13th 2015, 4:57 PM

    Jane WHO????.

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    Mute Murty Badgerhead
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    Jul 13th 2015, 5:48 PM

    I wonder what the English version of her name is, and if she approached the IDA for financial assistance.

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    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
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    Jul 13th 2015, 6:31 PM

    Delahunt or Delahunty would be the most common translations, but not the only ones. It’s originally a Midlands native Irish name, although the anglicised versions do look a bit as if the spelling was inspired by the Normans.

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    Mute Dorothea Fahy
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    Jul 13th 2015, 9:13 PM

    Jane Delahunty

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    Mute Dead Ball Browne
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    Jul 13th 2015, 11:45 PM

    What about Hurleys..!!

    4
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    Mute Darach Malone
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    Jul 13th 2015, 8:24 PM

    I was expecting a more salacious story given the headline

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    Mute Mindfulirish
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    Jul 13th 2015, 6:21 PM

    What is the English translation of her name ?

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    Mute james Goodyear
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    Jul 13th 2015, 6:26 PM

    BOB

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    Mute Dave Mac
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    Jul 15th 2015, 2:19 AM

    It’s either Delahunt or Delahunty. U

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    Mute Kieran Stafford
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    Jul 13th 2015, 10:42 PM

    Never heard of it

    1
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