Grainne Kelly is the Inventor, Founder and CEO of BubbleBum.
BubbleBum is the manufacturer of the world’s first inflatable car booster seat which has revolutionised the child travel industry.
A multi-award winning entrepreneur, Grainne founded BubbleBum in December 2009.
The company now exports to 27 countries globally and the BubbleBum is stocked by major retailers such as Amazon, Halfords, Target, Migros and Boots.
Mother of two, Grainne Kelly invented BubbleBum to meet a personal need.
Frequent travel between Ireland and England left her transporting bulky fixed booster seats back and forth on flights due to car rental firms not providing booster seats for her children.
Grainne took her idea from ‘concept to shelf’ in just 9 months. Her primary goal was to offer travellers a safe way to transport their kids.
Within months of setting up the business, Grainne, her husband and two sons left their home in Northern Ireland to live in the US with the aim of breaking into the US market.
Her family immersed themselves in the culture in order to understand the market and get the product ready for certification to US standards testing and certification.
Grainne qualified as a National Child Passenger Safety Technician and built the necessary relationships to launch the product into the US market.
The product won the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Best Bet Booster 2011, which resulted in major media exposure including the front page of USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
BubbleBum has continued to win many awards over the years including:
- Family Choice Award
- Parent Choice Award
- Made for Mums Award
- National Parenting Product Award
Since setting up the business, her husband has become the COO and her two sons have been involved with the design of all BubbleBum products.
In 2014, Grainne appeared on the Irish version of Dragons’ Den and famously turned down an offer from the Dragons.
Grainne Kelly has won several awards including:
- British American Business – Woman in Business Award in the Transatlantic Growth Awards
- Belfast Telegraph Business Woman of the Year
- Ulster Bank All Ireland Business Achievers Award
- Wonga Future 50 Disruptors Award
- Runner Up Amazon Growing Business Awards
She was also a Finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and the European Business Awards.
Keynote Speaker:
Grainne’s story demonstrates the role of resilience and perseverance as an entrepreneur, being bold and the importance of honouring your integrity.
She looks at how to start and grow a global business, and the lessons she has learnt along the way.
Grainne tells her story in a passionate manner, whilst hitting home with her key messages.
An inspirational speaker, Grainne captures the attention of her audience from the start. She leaves them motivated and inspired with the belief that anyone can do it, with hard work and determination.
