We’re on Film — and We’re So Proud to Share This Moment
When Julianne Gardner first strapped a scent pad into a plush stuffed animal and clipped it to a baby bottle, she wasn’t thinking about documentaries. She was thinking about her son. About the exhaustion. About the feeding sessions that weren’t working, and the desperate search for something that would.
But ideas born out of real, lived need have a way of growing into something much bigger than one family’s kitchen table moment.
We are thrilled to announce that Bottimals has been featured in a short film documentary by Invent Penn State, as part of their ongoing series spotlighting Pennsylvania entrepreneurs who are turning ideas into impact.
What Is Invent Penn State’s LaunchBox?
If you’re not familiar with Invent Penn State, here’s the short version: it’s one of the most powerful entrepreneurship ecosystems in the Commonwealth.
Invent Penn State is a commonwealth-wide initiative that blends entrepreneurship-focused academic programs, business startup training and incubation, funding, and key regional partnerships for the benefit of Pennsylvania’s economy. Across the state, Penn State operates more than 20 regional innovation hubs — called LaunchBoxes — that bring these resources directly to local entrepreneurs where they live and work.
Bottimals founder Julianne Gardner worked with two LaunchBox locations: Great Valley LaunchBox and Brandywine LaunchBox — both serving the southeastern Pennsylvania region, right in our backyard.
The Brandywine LaunchBox provides programs and resources for early-stage entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creatives, including a community classroom, workshop, makerspace, digital fabric lab, and media production studio.
The Great Valley LaunchBox offers regular office hours giving entrepreneurs direct access to experienced mentors and advisors, along with personalized guidance on a range of business challenges.
Together, these two hubs gave Julianne something every founder needs: community, credibility, and the tools to move forward with confidence.
From Idea to Impact: The Film
The short documentary — titled “From Idea to Impact: Julianne Gardner, Bottimals” — was filmed by Katie DeFiore with support from Sydney Turner, and produced and edited by Katie DeFiore for Invent Penn State’s YouTube channel.
In just 45 seconds, it captures what it took years to build: a solution that lives at the intersection of motherhood, biology, and entrepreneurship. The film is part of Invent Penn State’s mission to amplify the stories of founders who are solving real problems — and to inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs who might be sitting on an idea right now, wondering if it’s worth pursuing.
Spoiler: it is.
Watch “From Idea to Impact: Julianne Gardner, Bottimals” on YouTube →
Why LaunchBox Support Matters for Mom-Inventors
Building a product-based business as a first-time founder is hard. Building one while raising young children — with a solution that’s never existed before — adds a whole new layer of complexity.
Programs like Invent Penn State’s LaunchBox are specifically designed to meet entrepreneurs where they are. Whether you need help refining your pitch, understanding your customer, connecting with mentors, or just finding a community of people who get it, LaunchBox provides the scaffolding that helps a good idea become a real business.
The Invent Penn State Innovation Network’s Business Advisory and Mentoring Service offers one-on-one mentoring, workshops, funding access, and investor connections — and in FY23-24 alone, it supported over 1,300 entrepreneurs, engaged thousands of students, and helped create hundreds of jobs and startups.
For Julianne — a biology graduate, clinical research professional, and mother of two (with one on the way) — having access to that kind of infrastructure at a critical stage of Bottimals’ development was invaluable. And now, seeing Bottimals’ story elevated through Invent Penn State’s documentary series is a reminder of why ecosystem support matters so much for early-stage founders.
Bottle Refusal Is a Real Problem. Bottimals Is a Real Answer.
In case you’re discovering Bottimals for the first time through this post — welcome. Here’s what we’re all about.
Research suggests that approximately 60% of breastfed babies struggle with bottle acceptance. The reasons are deeply biological: newborns are wired to seek out their mother’s scent, and a bottle held by a different caregiver simply doesn’t have it.
The bottle-lovey® bridges that gap. Moms wear a small scent pad in their bra to absorb their natural scent, then tuck it into the bottle-lovey® — a soft, plush stuffed animal attachment that wraps around the bottle. Baby smells mom. Baby feels safe. Feeding gets easier.
It’s science meeting softness, and it’s available now at Bottimals.com.
What This Recognition Means to Us
Being featured by Invent Penn State isn’t just a milestone for Bottimals as a company. It’s a validation of something Julianne has believed from the very beginning: that solving a problem rooted in the everyday experience of mothers is worthy of serious attention, serious investment, and serious recognition.
Invent Penn State’s Brandywine LaunchBox is a signature program of Invent Penn State, a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success — one of 21 innovation hubs across Pennsylvania providing programs and resources for early-stage entrepreneurs.
To be part of that story — to be one of the entrepreneurs whose journey is now part of the LaunchBox legacy — means everything to this team.
We’re just getting started. New stuffed animal styles are coming. The product line is growing. And the mission — helping families navigate bottle refusal with confidence and compassion — has never been more alive.
Thank you to Invent Penn State, Great Valley LaunchBox, and Brandywine LaunchBox for believing in Bottimals. Thank you to Katie DeFiore and Sydney Turner for bringing this story to life on screen. And thank you to every parent who has shared our product, told a friend, or simply kept trying one more time at the bottle. You inspire us every day.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional guidance from a licensed healthcare provider, lactation consultant, or pediatrician. Every baby and family is different — please consult your child’s healthcare provider with any questions or concerns about feeding, infant health, or nutrition. Bottimals products are designed as comfort aids to support the feeding experience and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition.