TAMPA, Fla. — What started out as a way to relax and help with mental health has turned into a business venture for two University of Tampa students.
Hammocks are already a popular pastime for UT Students, but sophomores Sophie Dickerman and Haley Tisone thought they could take it to a whole new level by inventing the Dynamic Hammock.
The two entrepreneurs first discussed their love of hammocks following their freshman 101 business class, where they met.
“We started hammocking to help with our anxiety and our mental health," Dickerman said. "Especially being college students, we really struggle with mental health, it’s kind of an epidemic for our generation, and hammocking really helped us with that. So we wanted to share that experience with others."
Dickerman and Tisone said, "Why wait until graduation?" After all, they are business majors.
“It was kind of cool taking business 101 and starting a company because everything that we were learning in class we were doing at the same time,” Dickerman said. “We were filing an LOC while learning what an LOC was in class.”
One year later, the Coast to Coast Hammock Co. was on Kickstarter.
“She’s from the west coast, and I’m from the east coast, so that’s how we came up with coast to coast,” Tisone said.
They’re especially proud of everything they packed into one product.
“With the inflatable pillow, you finally have proper neck support when you are hammocking," Dickerman said. "With the drawstring bag, you have a safe space to store your belongings. With the snap-on blanket, you are ready for a hot day or a chilly evening."
But it’s not all rest and relaxation. They only have until November 21 to reach their Kickstarter goal of $31,000 worth of orders.
“We have two weeks to meet our goal. If not, we’re back to square one,” Tisone said.
If and when they do reach that goal, Dickerman and Tisone plan to donate 5% of all future sales to Mental Health America.
“I think that it’s a very awkward thing to talk about, but I think it’s important to talk about because it makes you not feel alone,” Tisone said.
For more information on the Dynamic Hammock, click here.
