This hair tie could prevent drink spiking at bars, parties
NightCap co-founders Shirah Benarde and Michael Benarde created a hair tie that’s meant to prevent drink spiking at college parties, which happens in seconds and leaves victims more vulnerable than they realize.
The invention works as a hair accessory and as a cover for unattended drinks. If people, notably young women, leave their drinks, they will recognize that their libations have been tampered with and know not to touch their old cups.
“It all started when my friends went to college and they got spiked so I called my brother, and he said that this was pretty common on college campuses," Shirah said on FOX Business' “Making Money with Charles Payne.”
College students also have the opportunity to leave the nightcap on their drinks when socializing and holding their cups, since someone can easily slip an unwarranted substance into a drink when no one is watching.
Creating nightcaps is a step in minimizing the degree of drink spiking that occurs not only on college campuses, but also in bars and other social settings.
"I got scared because I am going to college this year, and I came up with a solution by grabbing my mom's pantyhose and a scrunchie from my room, and I created this prototype."
When Shirah explained her idea to her brother, Michael set off to transform it into a reality.
"We're running an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign right now," with a goal of $12,000. "We have 50 days left to reach that goal, and that's going to go towards a deposit on manufacturing as well as legal and marketing services and stuff.”
Proving 'NightCaps' would serve a greater purpose and be competitive in the market required data, so Michael and Shirah created a survey to demonstrate that drink spiking is no laughing matter.
“Twenty-six percent of females [ages] 18 to 25 reported in our survey that they have had their drink spiked," Michael said. "75 percent said they're worried about being spiked when they go out.”
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Although their business is encountering the same barriers that face any product trying to get on to the market, things are looking up for the brother-sister duo. They want to wholesale their hair scrunchies to bars and colleges.