Two teenagers have effectively licked one of summertime’s most stickiest problems: the ice cream drip.
The teens’ invention, the Drip Drop, is an edible ring that you slide up an ice cream cone to prevent dripping.
Though the Denver-based inventors — Sam Nassif and Oliver Greenwald — are 14 years old, the duo came up with the idea back in 2011 for The Gates Invention & Innovations competition. They were just 10.
Fast forward to 2015, and Nassif and Greenwald have earned themselves a patent. And earlier this year, they were pledged startup funding on Shark Tank. “Even before we started The Drip Drop, we watched Shark Tank every Friday night for five years,” said Greenwald.
The duo had a solid pitch: “We may not have drivers’ licenses, but we have a patent,” being a strong line, although adding “this baby’s a chick magnet” might be a stretch.
But the cone ring’s real goal? Saving the planet.
“A hallmark of The Drip Drop is that it’s environmentally friendly because it can replace paper napkins,” the duo notes on their website. “Did you know that approximately one million trees could be saved each year if the current number of napkins used in ice cream shops was replaced by edible and delicious Drip Drops?”
While not available for direct purchase, the Drip Drop is being licensed out to ice creams stores, which have the option of adding toppings (like sprinkles) to the chocolate or sugar cone ring.
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