It all started with a meeting between Boulder-based "Sphero" and Disney executives a long time ago in a galaxy not too far away. The rest is Star Wars history.
"This is what every entrepreneur waits for in their professional career. You wait for that time that [sic] you have a product that the whole world wants," Sphero CEO Paul Berberian said.
Disney asked for a toy version of the BB-8 droid from the new Star Wars film, "The Force Awakens." Sphero took their existing technology of wireless robotic balls, and turned it into one of the year's hottest Christmas gifts.
Drops mic. #SpheroBB8 pic.twitter.com/Z9j53vyyBf
— Sphero (@Sphero) December 9, 2015
"It's in close to 20,000 stores across the world in 20 to 30 countries," Berberian added.
That means the company itself went from "doing well" to doubling its workforce, expecting to grow 5 to 6 times this year.
We had to really look around to find them -- but after hours of searching, we were able to find some BB-8's at a local Boulder toy store. They had to limit the number per customer to keep their stock up.
Back at Sphero, their success thanks to one little droid is staying local, not anywhere far, far away.
"We're proud to be from Boulder and part of the Boulder start-up scene. We built a company and we built what the world is recognizing as an exceptional product," Berberian said.
Star Wars opens worldwide on Friday.
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