Philip Robinson

Ever tried inflating a bike tyre with a hand pump? If you have then you’ll appreciate the ingenuity of the ZorinPump, an integrated bicycle seat and powerful floor pump which combines track performance with hand pump mobility.

ZorinPump is the brainchild of Philip Robinson, who conceived the idea as part of his product design degree. The pump might have remained nothing more than a university project had Philip not been offered £50 for the prototype. He refers to this incident as an ‘are you feeling lucky touch-paper’. He had to make a call between following the dream of making his invention a commercially successful product or taking a lucrative design and engineering job like many of his university friends. He chose the dream.

Developing ZorinPump took all of Philip’s dedication, not to mention resources. He worked part time as a van driver to finance his efforts and moved back in with his parents to save money. He describes himself as being naive, having no real experience of product development, but with the help and advice of his local Business Link and a supportive company accountant he set up Zorin Limited. He applied for and received a DTI Smart Award which covered 50 per cent of the early development costs, but the rest had to come from his own pocket and a bank loan.

In 2003 Philip was granted a patent but his extensive research led him to the realisation that to make the product successful he needed to find a manufacturing partner. In 2004 after working tirelessly to generate industry publicity Philip was approached by the world’s largest folding bicycle manufacturer, Dahon California Inc. Concluding a deal with a major multinational company is no mean feat but once again Philip held his nerve and the first Zorin-fitted Dahon Bikes arrived in the UK in 2006.

Philip is now something of a success story in the world of invention and as a result is regularly approached by other young inventors looking for advice. In response to these requests Philip has set up a unique student/graduate ‘productisation’ business working on behalf of British design students to take their products to market. When asked about the issues facing young entrepreneurs Philip says: “There are social issues to take account of: instead of going out with friends on a Friday night, you find yourself staying in preparing business plans. A great idea is not enough: you need the skills to promote your work in the required way. For me, well informed honesty is as important in giving advice as encouraging enterprise.