UHCO Alum Sees Startup Success

Kaleb Abbott, OD ‘18, is the optometrist behind SunSnap Kids, a solution for parents worried about their kids losing their sunglasses. Thanks to Abbott, kids can now “snap” sunglasses on their wrists, bicycle handlebars, stroller – pretty much anything.

After graduating from the University of Houston, College of Optometry, Abbott moved to Denver – one of the sunniest cities in the United States – where people are exposed to high levels of UV light. The elevation of Denver being a mile above sea level further intensifies this UV light exposure. He noticed that while adults in Colorado wore sunglasses frequently, kids under the age of 12 rarely used them. After conversations with parents, he learned adults did not purchase sunglasses for their children because they felt the sunglasses would get lost. This got him thinking.

In early 2019, Abbott approached Evan and Natalie Rowan – an engineer and a professional industrial designer, respectively. The three collaborated with Startup Aggieland and StartupGrind BCS. Soon, the concept of kid slap bracelet sunglasses emerged – kid sunglasses specifically designed to “not get lost” and a product parents could trust to protect young, developing eyes from harmful UV light.

His business journey has taught Abbott new skills in balancing the chaos and uncertainties of the startup world.

Here is his advice for the next generation of Doctors of Optometry: “To be entrepreneurial, you must embrace failure. Learn as much as you can from the mistakes of others, but know that failing is oftentimes a prerequisite for learning. From my limited experiences, life's regrets are almost always centered on things not done rather than things that were done.”

Learn more at: https://sunsnapkids.com/

Email Kaleb at: sales@sunsnapkids.com