Introducing Dura Doggie Disc

Every dog has its day. For Chase McElroy, Raad Mobrem, and Jonathan Luna Rivera, their days are just getting started. These three UCSB seniors are the proud entrepreneurs behind Dura Doggie Disc, the “indestructible, Frisbee-toy that turns into a food and water bowl.” Bright, hardworking, and ambitious, the three 22-year-olds are attempting to take on the $20 billion dollar pet toy industry with what they believe to be an already successful product.

It all started last fall when McElroy, Mobrem, and Rivera enrolled in an entrepreneurship class offered by UCSB’s Technology Management Program. The class aimed to introduce students to the venture creation process, as well as give them an edge on practices and entrepreneurship in the current business world. The main assignment was to develop ventures of their own and present them to the class. McElroy and Rivera, both business economics majors, and Mobrem, a mechanical engineer major, decided to take the project one step further and actually manufacture a product rather than just present an idea of it.

From the get-go, they were a determined bunch and knew precisely what they wanted to do. “About 15 or more years ago, my dad stumbled upon this [material] and we used it for my dog’s toy,” said McElroy. “My dog had it ever since then and wasn’t able to chew it up or tear a whole in it, whereas with other toys, my dog could chew it up in a day. So, I thought, ‘I should make a company out of this.'” McElroy took advantage of the class project and approached Mobrem and Rivera. Shortly after presenting his Frisbee idea, they were all on board.