Grosse Pointe Siblings Eager for Crowdfunding

A trio of Grosse Pointe siblings is working to market their invention: the Gorilla Stand, which is a "durable and stylish dual stand to accomodate an iPhone and an iPad (and most tablets)."

The project began about a year ago with Lego and Kinnex models and has evolved into a working proteje made out of durable plastic. Ryan Moran, 28, watches a lot of movies on his iPhone in his bedroom before going to sleep, which generated the idea for the invention, he said, explaining he realized he was always holding it up and moving it to make it easier to view.

The two leg Gorilla Stand folds flat for easy packing and travel and will sit on the user's lap or on a desk or table top. It also features a sound reflector, which helps amplify the sound of in the direction of the user--preventing the user from having to cup their hand around the microphone to hear, said Ray Moran, 30.

The brothers, Ryan and Ray both work as lighting technicians for motion pictures but business has dwindled significantly since changes to the state's movie incentive were altered earlier this year, they said.

They noted how many people they worked with from out-of-state while on movie and television series sets who skyped with family members back home, explaining how useful the Gorilla Stand could be to professionals who travel frequently.

Ryan and Ray, along with their sister Kate, 26, and their father, also Ray Moran, 58, have worked together to develop the project. The trio of siblings grew up in a household where inventions were a regular thing. Their father was constantly, and still does, create new items to solve problems anyone in the family is encountering, they said. He is an engineer.

The Gorilla Stand is currently featured on indiegogo.com, which is a crowd-funding website that encourages small businesses or inventors to seek funding for projects from anyone who wishes to support the idea.

Their goal of $45,000 is intended to pay for the creation of the casting molds that are necessary to mass produce the stand. It will also pay for early production that will allow for inspection and any necessary alterations.

There are 19 days left for the campaign on indiegogo.com. If the trio does not reach its goal, the money that was put up toward the project is put essentially back into the accounts of the users who tried to help fund it. They are allowed to re-post it on the crowd-funding site, but they have not yet decided whether they'll do it. They may try other avenues, they said.

So far, they've raised $350.

This is not the first project of this scale the siblings have worked on together. They also invented Doggiestix, which is an inexpensive disposable dog toy made of polystyrene. It works like a stick for a dog to fetch but poses no risk to the dog because it breaks down into small pieces that cannot be choked on. 

Available for sale through their website for the product, doggiestix.com, the trio is preparing to market it to local pet stores in hopes they'll agree to sell it on their shelves.

In the meantime, the siblings are hoping to gain enough crowd-funding to get their second project off the ground.

In addition to storing flat, the Gorilla Stand sits the iPhone or iPad at a good height for viewing helping save a user from straining their neck. It also is made of three parts--two legs and the iPhone holder, which can easily be removed and replaced when the next generation of the smart phone is released.