Arik Shukhman, from Manchester, is the creator of the Pebbl, the world’s first automatic cable organiser that stays on your cables, designed to reduce mess and save time for anyone who uses tech on the go. 

The product is now produced by a startup, Pebbl. Innovations, co-founded by Arik alongside his girlfriend Holly Brown, who graduated last year with a degree in Childhood Studies from the University of Bristol. The pair won £8,000 funding at the University’s New Enterprise Competition, run by the Basecamp Enterprise Team in the Careers Service.  

The idea for Pebbl was born during Arik’s final year at University after realising there was no similar product on the market. 

Arik said: “I discovered my love for product design and fabrication during my third-year project. I had this idea for a cable organiser I needed myself. When I saw it didn’t exist, I knew I had to try building it.” 

Using University facilities such as the Hack Space, where engineering students can test new ideas, Arik was able to produce something on 3D printers that he felt showed real potential. 

The road from idea to product wasn’t smooth. It took over 30 prototypes to refine the first Pebbl, and 100 prototypes to perfect the second iteration. This mostly ensured it wound cables neatly and consistently - a defining feature of the product today.  

The product began to be produced and assembled in Arik’s student house, where his living room doubled as a mini manufacturing lab filled with spools of wire and 3D-printed parts. 

As students, Arik and Holly took full advantage of the University ecosystem. As well as receiving business training and mentoring through the University’s start-up support, they were able to gather direct feedback from students, one of their target markets.  

Arik said: “Being surrounded by other students was a huge advantage. We were able to conduct informal interviews across campus, shaping the final design around real user needs.” 

In five years, Arik hopes that the Pebbl becomes a global staple in cable organisers. Already selling to customers worldwide, the pair hope Pebbl Innovations can expand their product range to include other innovative tech accessories.  

Elizabeth Cameron, Senior Enterprise Advisor and Programme Lead for Enterprise and Start Up Support said: “It’s inspiring to see a student take an idea from prototype to product, even more so when that journey leads to an award-winning start-up. 

“As a student inventor, Arik has shown remarkable creativity and ingenuity. We’re proud to have supported him and Holly through the New Enterprise Programme and look forward to seeing where they take Pebbl. next.”