Sticking to It

Like most kids, Praveen Singh’s children would hop in his bed in the mornings full of excitement. With each jump, the headboard would bang against the wall. It drove him crazy until he placed a pillow behind the headboard. Stabilizing the headboard solved his problem. It also gave him an idea.

Singh, 48, is the founder of Pacific Angel, LLC and the inventor of a double-sided safety fastener.

As it is for many with new ideas, it’s been a battle to get his product off the ground. And it’s a battle that he and his wife, Shabnam, chose to fight on their own.

“It didn’t kick the way I wanted it to. It takes a while, but it’ll get there,” Singh said. “I’ve taken the risk and I’ve done it. Most of the people that have seen it like what the product is about and that’s what pushed me.”

The flexible rubber device, which has two suction cups and an accordion-like center, serves multiple functions. It can be used as a doorstopper, to prop up laptops, affix GPS devices to car windshields, or hold large appliances and furniture in place, Singh said.

“If there’s an earthquake, it’s going to shake, but it’s not going to fall,” Singh said.

Once he made the prototype for the safety fasteners, different uses came to mind, he said.

According to Singh, buyers have used his product to stabilize everything from china cabinets to washing machines, which tend to run away when in the spin cycle.

Conceived in 2008, Singh’s product became available to consumers just over four months ago.

Despite not having major backers, Singh has managed to sell about 600 safety fasteners through his website and select retailers, he said.

One of Singh’s retailers is Cole Hardware, an independent hardware chain with four locations in San Francisco.

“They aren’t flying off of the shelves, but we continue to re-order and re-stock them,” said Mia Ehrich, a buyer for Cole Hardware, of Singh’s safety fasteners. “I think our customers would miss them if they weren’t here.”

While Singh is wholly dedicated to his invention, the idea wouldn’t have come to life if it weren’t for a sequence of bad and good events in his life.

Born and raised in Fiji, Singh and his current wife, Shabnam, were teenage sweethearts. But because of religious differences – Singh is a Hindu, Shabnam is Muslim – their families objected to their relationship. Shabnam moved to the U.S. and Praveen left for New Zealand to study engineering in 1987.

They both moved on and started families. In New Zealand, Singh worked in computer engineering before running a tiling business. 

But after both of their marriages eventually ran their course, the two reconnected.

“I said, ‘Why don’t we get back together and start fresh?’” Singh said.

Singh packed up his life and in 2007 moved to Union City, where Shabnam lived with her two children.

Shortly after, they started Pacific Angel.

The couple do everything themselves without the help of venture capitalists.

“I worked hard for this,” Singh said. “I’m not crazy and I’m not greedy, but why give someone my effects and energy?”

The couple invested their money and time into their product. They designed it, had it manufactured overseas and approached small development companies with it, he said. They currently have a patent pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Singh said.

Singh also acknowledges his missteps. In his excitement to promote his product, Singh took out an expensive television ad that ran on local networks in November and December.

“It was the wrong time to advertise,” he said. “People are enjoying their time with their families [and] buying gifts. They don’t want to buy this.”

But Singh’s product is slowly infiltrating the market. He’s currently in talks with retailers in Union City to get his fasteners on shelves locally, he said. He’s also negotiating distribution in New Zealand. If his business takes off, he said he’d like to start a factory here in the Bay Area.

“I’m out to prove myself,” Singh said.