DAV Patriot’s Pitch contest - Jin-Hwa Frazier - SOS Swim Shirt

Duration: 4:23 614 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Jin-Hwa Frazier, a retired Air Force Colonel and founder of SOS Swim Shirt, presents a compelling solution to the global drowning crisis by addressing the issue through fashion rather than traditional engineering. As a member of the DAV Patriot Boot Camps winter 2025 cohort, she highlights that while 300,000 people drown annually, 85% of these incidents are preventable yet often ignored due to discomfort, heat, cost, or embarrassment associated with standard life vests. Her company's mission is to eliminate these barriers by creating a Coast Guard-certified inflatable swim shirt that functions as both a stylish rash guard and a reliable personal flotation device, effectively solving the problem of safety equipment adoption by making it fashionable enough that wearers forget they are wearing a life vest. The SOS Swim Shirt is designed with advanced safety features that allow for inflation in three distinct ways: oral inflation, manual activation via a rip cord, or automatic inflation upon water entry. This innovation targets the booming stand-up paddleboard market, which serves as the company's primary beachhead with over 3.5 million users who require sun protection and legal compliance regarding life vests while spending long hours on the water. By focusing on this demographic of high earners in the fastest-growing water sport in the United States, the product not only meets safety regulations but also provides essential protection against board impacts and sun exposure, positioning itself as a necessary upgrade for serious paddlers who value both style and security. Beyond its functional design, the venture is driven by a deeply personal mission stemming from Frazier's own traumatic experience when her three-year-old son nearly drowned; this event underscored that families must choose between safety and comfort, not one or the other. To execute this vision, she has assembled a diverse team including payroll expert Shane, attorney Laura, and Navy SEAL John, who serves as the maritime specialist to ensure product reliability in real-world conditions. The business model leverages strategic partnerships with paddleboard manufacturers, attendance at major industry events like Surf Expo, and direct-to-consumer sales through subscriptions for rearming kits, proving its concept by selling over 400 units despite navigating uncharted waters for a new market entry. Ultimately, the pitch concludes with an urgent call to action based on the heartbreaking reality that 821 families alone are planning funerals this week for loved ones lost to drowning, a tragedy that could have been avoided with proper safety gear. Frazier emphasizes that the single most critical variable determining survival in a water incident is simply whether the individual is wearing a life vest, and her product ensures that everyone is always protected by integrating the flotation device directly into their clothing. With proven customer enthusiasm and a clear path to scaling through wholesale and retail channels, SOS Swim Shirt stands ready for its next major sales push to save lives and change the culture of water safety forever.

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Jinwoa Frazier is a retired Air Force Colonel who served in Iraq during the global war on terror. She is the founder and CEO of SOS swim shirt, a comfortable, stylish, Coast Guard certified inflatable swim shirt with a mission to prevent drownings. Jinwoa is an alumna of DAV Patriot Boot Camps winter 2025 cohort and a DAV member. >> 300,000 people drown every year. 85% of those drownings are completely preventable. But we don't wear the safety equipment that will save us. And we don't do it because it's hot, it's expensive, it's it restricts our movement, it's embarrassing. The drowning problem is not an engineering problem. It's actually a fashion problem. Introducing the SOS swim shirt. It's so fashionable that you don't realize that it's actually a swimming vest and that it's actually a Coast Guard certified life vest. It's pretty simple to use. You get into trouble underwater, you pull the rip cord, it takes you to the top of the water, and you swim out safely. This is the shirt inflated. It inflates three different ways. You can blow into it orally, you can manually pull the rip cord, or you can do a quick conversion and you can do an auto inflate feature so that when you hit the water, it will automatically inflate. The global rash guard market is $10.8 billion. The US has $2.8 billion of that market. And it's growing at 5.9% annually. Our surface our beachhead are the stand-up paddle boarders with 3.5 million users. This is our perfect customer. Our buyers need sun protection. They're out on the water all day. They need a rash guard to protect them from their board, and they need a life vest because they're legally obligated to wear a life vest when they're on the water. The majority of paddlers are high earners. They make more than $75,000 a year. It's the fastest growing water sport in the United States. We win by focusing on strategic partnerships with stand-up paddleboard manufacturers. We win by attending new product review days, and we win by attending Surf Expo, which is the premier wholesale surf and swim equipment convention. We make money through retail direct to consumer. We make money through subscriptions for a rearming kit. We also make money wholesale to retailers. We've chartered some seas that have not been navigated before with our new to market product, but we have shown proof of concept by attending boat shows, listening to our customers, and we've sold over 400 units. Our customers need the product. They love the product, and they rave about the product. Now we're ready for our next big sale. On this journey, on this um crew with me is Shane, who's been in payroll for 20-plus years. Laura, an attorney for 25 years. John is a Navy SEAL. He's our maritime specialist, and we have three sales staff. When my son was three, he almost drowned. He doesn't remember it. He survived. His dad and I never forgot. And that was the impetus for me starting SOS swim shirt because we don't ask whether you want to have safety or comfort anymore. We give you both because we build the personal flotation device inside of the shirt, so you're always wearing a life vest. We work on the one variable that that determines whether you sink or swim when you get into a a water incident, and that is are you wearing a life vest? 821 families this week alone are planning funerals for loved ones who drowned. Just imagine if those victims had been wearing an SOS swim shirt. >> Give it up for Jin Wan.