Jane Ni Dhulchaontigh

Shared by Ed Make Your Mark team

Jane Ni Dhulchaontigh is a designer, inventor, materials supplier and successful business person. While completing an MA in product design, she came up with the idea for a malleable hand-formable material that will stick to almost anything: Formerol.

Having completed a degree in sculpture in 2001 Jane decided to move to London to do an MA in product design. It was during this time that she began experimenting with materials and came up with the idea for Formerol, a malleable hand-formable material that will stick to almost anything - meaning that products from screwdrivers to pens can be simply and easily customised to meet the needs of the specific user.

Jane is incredibly positive about her education saying that she was encouraged to be “really ambitious and imaginative with her ideas and projects”, and given the time and space to experiment with materials and explore design strategies. However it takes more than an education to launch a business and Jane needed funding and support, so she took her idea to NESTA and was accepted onto the Creative Pioneers Programme. She was given a grant and coaching to help her develop and launch the Formerol materials as commercial products.

The NESTA programme provided Jane with access to a group of other entrepreneurs from whom she could learn. Initially she was lacking any real industry experience or business skills but the people she met through NESTA provided her with enormous help and inspiration. Jane found that other designers, young people in business and experienced industry professionals are often delighted to offer insight and advice.

Formerol Ltd is now working with a manufacturer of premium tools to develop a new generation of products which will help to combat the high incidence of repetitive strain injuries amongst professional manual tool users. Jane’s ambition is to make mass produced but individually tailored products part of everyday life and she is working to forge partnerships with leading brands and smaller design-led companies.

To anyone starting out in business Jane says: “I have had to learn on my feet – don’t be afraid to get into something because you think you don’t know how to do it. If you ask for help, there are a surprising number of people who will give it. Bring other people on board – this is where we have built a lot of our strength as a business and had our fun day to day”.