From Bathtub to Breakthrough: Carlyn Loncaric on Building a Business That Saves Lives

What does it take to turn a life-saving idea into a global business while navigating funding, unexpected setbacks, and motherhood? In this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Alice Heiman sits down with Carlyn Loncaric, founder and CEO of VodaSafe, to explore her journey from building prototypes in her bathtub to developing AI-powered technology that's transforming underwater search and rescue operations around the world. As a former lifeguard and engineer, Carlyn saw firsthand how difficult and dangerous underwater searches could be. Determined to find a better way, she created AquaEye, a handheld device that helps first responders locate people underwater faster and more safely. But turning an invention into a successful company was anything but straightforward. Carlyn shares how she bootstrapped her early development, secured her first investment, and navigated a pandemic that forced her to rethink her entire market. She also opens up about raising venture capital, building a sales team, finding the right customers, and managing the demands of growing a business while raising twins. Through it all, Carlyn offers valuable lessons for female founder CEOs on trusting their instincts, asking for help, raising enough capital, and learning when to let go of control. Carlyn explains: ◼️ How her experience as a lifeguard inspired her to invent life-saving technology ◼️ Why she spent two years developing prototypes in her bathtub before finding her first customer ◼️ How a $50,000 investment helped turn her idea into a viable business ◼️ Why COVID forced her to pivot from lifeguarding organizations to fire and rescue departments ◼️ How cold calling and persistence helped her reach new customers when traditional sales channels disappeared ◼️ What she learned from raising venture capital and why female founders should think bigger when seeking funding ◼️ How she managed motherhood, twins, and the demands of running a growing company ◼️ Why qualifying buyers and creating a structured product demonstration process transformed her sales strategy ◼️ How customer relationships, word of mouth, and trust are helping VodaSafe expand its reach ◼️ Why trusting your gut, being bold, and accepting that not everyone will understand your vision are essential to entrepreneurship Connect with: Carlyn Loncaric LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyn-loncaric-33012322/ Website: http://aquaeye.com/ Alice Heiman: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/ Website: https://aliceheiman.com/