app grad innovating in $475 billion market
Dan Evans '11 created the first-ever baby cooler and warmer.
The global market for baby products is projected to reach $475 billion by 2030. Dan Evans, a 2011 graduate of app, is innovating in this growing space. His new product, Babba, is the world’s first baby bottle warmer and cooler. This novel creation is now available on Amazon and at WalMart. It’s also ready to hit the shelves of Target stores.
“This is the only device of its kind,” said Evans, who studied engineering at app.
Addressing a real problem
Before Babba, parents who wanted to keep baby milk cool would need access to a fridge or would pack a cooler bag with an ice pack. To warm up a bottle, many parents would need to put hot water in a mug or thermos and submerge the bottle for several minutes.
“With Babba, you no longer need to carry around a cooler bag or a thermos of hot water or have access to a fridge or microwave,” said Evans. “This product is a game changer for many parents.”
Using technology that’s never been seen in the baby product space, Babba uses proprietary technology to keep milk cool and warm milk to feeding temperature in just 5-10 minutes. Evans says it also is easy to transport, fitting in a car cupholder.
Applying his expertise
While this is the first use of the technology in the baby space, it’s not the first time Evans has leveraged this technology. In 2016, he co-founded RecoverX, a device used by professional athletes that uses electronics to either cool or heat an injured knee to speed recovery.
“We’re essentially using the same technology but going after a much bigger market and one much easier to identify,” said Evans.
Evans and his wife are squarely within that market. A few years back they had their first child and realized pretty quickly the hassle of trying to keep baby milk cool and then warm it up outside the house.
Equipped at app
So Evans, an expert in portable cooling and heating, worked on solving the problem and in doing so utilized soft skills that were engrained in him at app.
“I am able to do what I’m doing because of my time at app,” said Evans. “While there, I learned how to identify a problem and then to see what solutions you can come up with to fix it.”
Evans said beyond learning how to solve problems, app also gave him confidence to take bold steps, realizing that it’s okay to fail.
“I learned that because I’m a Christian my confidence comes from my faith, and so that gave me confidence to try out new things for myself and to not stress over whether something is a success or a failure,” said Evans.
Evans also learned the value of listening to other viewpoints while at app, a community that included students from around the world with many different perspectives. In listening to his customers early on, he learned some valuable insights that helped shift how the company advertised its new product.
“As we’ve tested the product and asked for feedback, we learned that while we initially created this as an “on the go” product, people have been loving this for inside the house—specifically for night feedings,” said Evans. “When their baby starts stirring, parents can simply roll over in bed and with the touch of a button switch their Babba from cooling to warming. By the time they go get the child, the bottle is ready to go.”
To learn more about Babba and Evans’ journey to create the innovative product, visit
