Kelli Aspland
Kelli Aspland (born in Wales) is a Welsh entrepreneur and co-founder of Solar Buddies, the world's first refillable child-friendly sunscreen applicator. Together with her business partner Laura Waters, she founded Solar Buddies in 2015 following a conversation on the school run in Cwmbran, South Wales, in response to school no-touch policies that prevented teachers from applying sunscreen to pupils.[1][2]
Solar Buddies secured an £80,000 investment on Dragons' Den Series 20 in 2023 from investors Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, and has subsequently expanded into major international retailers including Target in the United States, Boots UK, Tesco, Asda, and Morrisons.[3] Aspland and Waters were shortlisted for Retail Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023,[4] and Solar Buddies was named in the FEBE Growth 100 2024, a list recognising the fastest-growing founder-led businesses in the United Kingdom.[3]
Early life and education
Kelli Aspland was born and raised in Wales. She attended Coleg Gwent in South Wales.[5] Prior to founding Solar Buddies, Aspland had accepted a place to study nursing, which she deferred in order to develop the business full-time.[6]
Founding of Solar Buddies
Aspland met Laura Waters in 2011 while collecting their three-year-old children from St David's RC School in Cwmbran. Both mothers observed that their children's school, in common with most UK schools, operated a no-touch policy that prohibited teachers from applying sunscreen to pupils. Without help, children either missed application entirely, applied it messily and inconsistently, or became sunburned after reapplication was forgotten.[1][6]
Aspland and Waters spent several years developing a prototype solution, partnering with Cardiff Metropolitan University during the research and development phase. The Solar Buddies applicator was formally launched in 2015 as a commercially available product.[2][7]
A patent for the Solar Buddies applicator was granted in the United Kingdom, with an international patent application pending at the time of the company's 2023 Dragons' Den appearance.[1]
Dragons' Den
In April 2023, Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters appeared in the series finale of Dragons' Den Series 20 on BBC One, requesting £80,000 for a 10% equity stake. Three of the five Dragons — Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, and Sara Davies — made offers.[1]
After Sara Davies declined a joint offer, Meaden and Jones agreed to split the investment equally, each contributing £40,000 for a 10% stake, resulting in a combined investment of £80,000 for 20% of the business.[6]
Peter Jones described the product as "clever and very neat" and commented that the Solar Buddies applicators "could be Disney characters." Deborah Meaden characterised the business as having "only scratched the surface of what it could be used for."[1]
Following the broadcast, Aspland said: "Going into the Den was a heart-in-mouth moment. But we know our business inside out, so as soon as we started talking, the nerves disappeared."[6]
Business growth and recognition
Following the Dragons' Den investment, Solar Buddies expanded its retail presence substantially. The brand launched into Boots UK, Tesco, Asda, and Morrisons in the United Kingdom, and secured a listing at Target across more than 3,000 stores in the United States.[3] The company subsequently recorded growth of 245% in North America.[2]
In 2023, Aspland and Waters were shortlisted as finalists for Retail Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, described by the organisation as the "Grammys of Entrepreneurship."[4][8]
In 2024, Solar Buddies was named in the FEBE (For Entrepreneurs, By Entrepreneurs) Growth 100, which recognises the fastest-growing founder-led privately owned businesses in the United Kingdom.[3]
Solar Buddies has been featured in lists of the fastest-growing companies in Wales compiled by Beauhurst, an independent business intelligence platform.[9]
In 2024, a partnership between Solar Buddies and Nivea Sun was launched in Boots UK stores across the United Kingdom.[6]
Public health advocacy
Aspland has spoken publicly about the systemic nature of the sun safety gap in UK schools and the relationship between product design and childhood health behaviour. She has framed the Solar Buddies applicator not solely as a consumer product but as an instrument for creating generational change in sun protection habits.[2]
Aspland and Waters attended the United Nations Global Empowerment and Inclusion Summit in Geneva as representatives of Solar Buddies.[10]
See also
- Solar Buddies
- Laura Waters
- Dragons' Den (British TV series)
- Peter Jones (entrepreneur)
- Deborah Meaden
- Hayley Parsons
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Dragon's Den's Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones invest £80,000 in Cwmbran business". Cwmbran Life. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "The Sunscreen Saviours: How Two Mums Built a Global Business Empire". Fresh Business Thinking. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Solar Buddies Named Among Fastest Growing Businesses". Business News Wales. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Laura Waters & Kelli Aspland – Solar Buddies". Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ "Kelli Aspland – Co-Founder & Director, Solar Buddies Ltd". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Dragons' Den success for Welsh entrepreneurs with investment from Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones". Inkl / Wales Online. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ "Solar Buddies – Company Profile". Tracxn. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ "Great British Entrepreneur Awards". Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ "The Fastest-Growing Companies in Wales 2025". Beauhurst. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ↑ "MPHeroes – Kelli Aspland & Laura Waters". MPHeroes. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
External links
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