Mediloq is offering equity at a $3.1 million valuation. Mediloq’s valuation is low compared to most companies raising online. The figure is further justified by the company’s limited revenue flow and by the patent it received in 2019. Therefore, Mediloq’s valuation is favorable to investors.

Mediloq operates in the well-established global child-resistant packaging market, valued at $21.2 billion dollars and growing at a steady annual rate of 5.9%. In the United States, this market is regulated by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, which limits companies without specific product design capabilities from entering the market.  For now, Mediloq generates revenue thanks to Canniloq, a child-safe container sold on the cannabis market. Canniloq is also used by campers to store coffee or medicine. The Canniloq is sold in a few dispensaries in the United States and in about 15 countries online, according to Mediloq founder Dan Estoque. 

Mediloq’s opportunity to grow comes from the rising awareness of the dangers of single-use plastics for health and the environment. Indeed, 91% of plastics are not recycled and become pollutants. To respond to the crisis, some states and cities in the United States – such as New Jersey, Utah and Florida – have banned single-use plastic bags, plastic straws, and polystyrene containers. Consumer trends are in support of these measures, as 75% of the world’s population wants to ban single-use plastics.

Unfortunately, alternatives to single-use plastic require effort and investments. In the case of Canniloq, customers have to wash and bring their containers back to the store for every new purchase. While the effort required is moderate, it might be a barrier for some consumers who would prefer more convenience. Therefore, Canniloq customers might be limited to those who already care about the long-term impact of their buying habits.

On the pharmaceutical side, Mediloq’s proposed reusable pill containers will require additional effort from patients and distributors to be adopted. The cost of Mediloq’s reusable containers will be more expensive for distributors. In addition to the production of the containers, Mediloq will need to hire drivers and build several washing facilities. The company will also need to convince stores to install systems to collect the used glass containers. All of these needs create barriers to adoption. Without binding regulations against single-use plastics, it might be difficult for Mediloq to expand in the child-resistant packaging market, as the market does not seem ready to do so. 

To overcome this difficult barrier to entry, Mediloq wants to start its service of collected, washed, and reused containers with independent pharmacies and environmentally-focused stores. The company needs to start small to limit upfront costs. It will target customers who are already altering their consumption habits to have a lower negative impact on the environment. 

Mediloq currently operates in the small cannabis niche of the child-resistant packaging market. Staying in this niche will prevent the company’s expansion. The company’s ultimate vision – to provide a service of washed and reused child-safe packaging – is extremely capital intensive and will require customers to change their behaviors. Furthermore, reusable child-safe packaging is another niche within an already limited market. Therefore, Mediloq’s market potential is not substantial.

Dan Estoque is the founder and CEO of Mediloq. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. Over the years, Estoque earned experience in product design, which gave him the skills to conceive Mediloq’s products and future robotic chain. During his time as a product engineer for Volan Design, Estoque worked on MRI enclosures, retail packaging, and household products. He was also a principal at Whitewater Product Design. In that position, he led the development of more than 100 different products and earned six patents. Estoque’s experience in product development is essential to execute Mediloq’s vision. 

On the sales side, Estoque brought on Nicolas Legare and Henry Burgess-Marshall as co-founders. Legare is director of business development at Mediloq and holds a degree in economics and environmental planning and policy from the University of Maine. He is currently working full-time as a director of sales at Nolk, a company specialized in helping consumer businesses scale. 

Burgess-Marshall is Mediloq’s director of marketing. He previously worked as a head of business development and marketing for Hot Tub Boats. He currently is the co-founder and head of marketing of Maribel Creative Agency.

Both Legare and Burgess-Marshall have helped Mediloq to acquire its first customers with its child-safe container for cannabis, Canniloq. But Estoque is the only full-time person on the team, which might limit the company’s expansion capacity. Furthermore, Estoque owns 92% of Mediloq, and its two other co-founders own only 4% each. Unfortunately, this demonstrates that Legare and Burgess-Marshall are not committed and, according to Estoque, they might not ever join full-time.

After this raise, the company will need to bring in another C-suite executive to overview operations and balance Estoque’s technical expertise. Additionally, the team will soon need to be helped by an FDA compliant consultant to launch its Mediloq product. Indeed, child-safe containers for prescription pills need to be approved by the FDA to be commercialized.

Mediloq’s current team is too small. Despite the technical capabilities and passion of Estoque, he doesn’t have the necessary skills and experience to be the CEO of the company. He needs to bring a larger (and fully committed) team onboard in order to grow Mediloq.

Mediloq wants to supply and wash reusable child-safe containers for pill distributors. In the American pharmaceutical industry, this concept doesn’t exist yet. It is inspired from the milk bottle deposit system and is possible to accomplish through a network of distributors, drivers, and washer facilities. The network effect will be key to the success of Mediloq. Manufacturers and consumers will be more likely to use a container with a wide network of collection points and washing facilities. If Mediloq can implement its service, competitors could struggle to find their own entry point in the market. Mediloq’s container service will be more expensive than current single-use plastic containers. But targeting the niche of environmentally conscious consumers will allow the company to test its concept with low capital intensity.

According to Mediloq founder Dan Estoque, Canniloq is targeted to a middle-aged, masculine market that enjoys gear. Indeed, initially used for cannabis storage, the Canniloq has been diverted by a few users to store coffee during camping and hiking trips. It is water- and smell-proof. Canniloq is currently available in different sizes, materials, and prices. The resin model has a capacity of 120 millimeters (mL) and is sold at $26.95 for the Canniloq and $19.95 for the Coffeeloq. The aluminum model is targeting price-insensitive consumers. It is sold at $29.95 for the 80 mL size and at $39.95 for the 120 mL size.

Canniloq’s branding, lock system, and exclusive partnership with dispensaries help set it apart from other companies. However, it still faces notable competition. CRATIV is one of Canniloq’s main competitors. The company provides two types of child-resistant cannabis packages. One is made out of biobased resin, a natural material, and the other one is made out of degradable plastic. CRATIV isn’t sold directly to customers, but it is instead sold in large quantities to distributors. At around $1 per unit, distributors can still have a significant margin while selling it at a lower price than Canniloq. However, most of CRATIV’s products are made in a softer material and are on average smaller than Canniloq. Therefore, the two companies’ products are differentiated by their features.

Safe Locker is another child-safe and reusable cannabis container sold on Amazon. At $39.98, this product is large and complex. It weighs close to two pounds and requires a key to be opened. Therefore, it addresses needs for larger storage and higher safety than Canniloq’s product.

Overall, Canniloq’s design and concept is relatively unusual. The only competitors selling similar easy-to-use, childproof containers are wholesalers. Mediloq’s future reusable glass containers service is a completely unique concept in the child-safe container industry. Being new may be an advantage if the company successfully launches its service. But Mediloq will need to build awareness with distributors and customers while also developing a network of washers and collection points. Mediloq’s vision is admirable and ambitious, but it’s unclear if the company will be able to achieve it.  

Mediloq has been generating revenue for a few years through sales of its cannabis container, Canniloq. The different versions of Canniloq have ratings higher than four stars on Amazon. This positive consumer feedback demonstrates a strong product-market fit.

Unfortunately, Mediloq’s revenue has been lower than its cost of goods sold both in 2019 and in 2020. For every Canniloq sold, the company loses money. In 2020, that loss reached $13,120. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mediloq’s revenue also decreased by 28% between 2019 and 2020 from $54,330 to $39,091. Indeed, some cannabis dispensaries refused to serve customers in reusable containers for fear of transmitting the virus. 

According to Mediloq founder Dan Estoque, Mediloq increased its revenue in 2021 to reach more than $50,000. While the inability of Mediloq to generate gross profit is an issue, the company still has 13 months of runway, according to the founder. With some additional funding, this runway might be enough time to scale Canniloq’s production and reach a break-even point.

As of 2020, Mediloq has relatively low debt. The company’s short-term debt amount is comparable to its cost of goods sold and isn’t a concern. However, the lack of gross profit makes the $126,615 in long-term debt a challenge. If Mediloq does not scale or raise funds from investors, it might be unable to reimburse its debt.

Despite the generation of revenue and positive reviews from customers for Canniloq, Mediloq is not generating a positive gross profit. The company needs to scale operations to bring Canniloq to a break-even point. But most importantly, Mediloq’s vision of reusable, child-safe containers for medicine is not implemented yet. The company needs to raise funds to start working on its vision and is at a very early stage in this project. Creating the network necessary to make reusable pill containers viable will require a substantial amount of capital and time. The company’s performance thus far does not inspire confidence in its ability to undertake such a capital intensive process. Therefore, Mediloq’s performance brings a lot of risks to the investment.

Mediloq is a high risk investment. The company’s cost of goods sold was higher than its revenue by an average of 24% both in 2019 and 2020. Therefore, Mediloq is losing money by selling its Canniloq products. This performance is unsustainable, and the company needs to scale its sales rapidly.

In order to scale Canniloq’s sales and develop its proposed cleaning and distribution service for reusable, child-safe glass containers, Mediloq needs to raise from investors. The company’s vision is quite capital intensive, both because of the need to build a collection and cleaning system for containers and because of the necessity to build customer’s awareness on the solution. Additionally, Mediloq’s pill containers will be subject to FDA approval, which will extend the duration of its go-to-market process. But Mediloq has no prior fundraising history. Therefore, it is uncledar whether the company will be able to raise enough to bring its vision to reality.

Overall, Mediloq is a risky investment because of the market unawareness of its solution, its lack of previous funding, and its negative gross profit.

Mediloq wants to disrupt the child-safe container market. While the company is answering growing environmental concerns, its product will require customers and distributors to change their habits regarding waste disposal. This behavior change will likely be a barrier to implementing Mediloq’s service. 

The company is currently generating revenue through the sale of its child-safe containers for cannabis storage, Canniloq. But currently, the company is losing money on every Canniloq sale. This performance puts Mediloq at financial risk and casts doubt on the company’s ability to pivot into new operations successfully.

Mediloq is led by Dan Estoque, an experienced mechanical engineer who holds six patents in product design. However, Mediloq has no other full-time members currently. Having such a small team will slow down the company’s growth and ability to start its new project for reusable prescription pill containers. Estoque doesn’t have any other entrepreneurial experience, which might reduce Mediloq’s ability to raise funding in the future and to scale efficiently.

But most importantly, Mediloq’s vision of a cleaning service to reuse child-safe containers has not been implemented yet. An extensive network will be needed to implement this project, and nothing in Mediloq’s history proves to investors at this point that the company will succeed.

Mediloq is raising at a fair valuation compared to other online startup deals. The company generated some revenue through sales of its reusable child-safe container for cannabis, Canniloq. The company’s product has the potential to extend to diverse industries, and its solution is aligned with ending plastic pollution. Canniloq has a unique design and features that differentiate it from its competitors on the cannabis storage market. Other products are smaller or larger, which appeal to different needs and uses. Therefore Canniloq is well differentiated.

Mediloq wants to be the first company to offer reusable, child-safe containers for medicine with a system of collection, cleaning, and redistribution. Mediloq wants its products to be a solution to the extensive pollution generated by single-use plastics. The company intends to initially target environmentally conscious customers but wants to replace prescription pill bottles in the future. For now, Mediloq is generating revenue by selling Canniloq, a reusable child-safe container targeting cannabis consumers and campers.

Mediloq’s vision of a sustainable alternative to single-use containers is an excellent solution to the environmental challenges brought by the global use of plastic. The valuation is a good deal for investors, and Mediloq founder Dan Estoque has an extensive background in product design. Mediloq’s current product, Canniloq, has a few competitors but is differentiated enough to find customers. There is currently no existing system for reusable child-safe containers. If Mediloq receives sufficient funding, it might get the first-mover advantage and build an extensive network of collection and washing points.

Unfortunately, there are some barriers to the adoption of its products by distributors and customers. In the nearest future and without regulations, distributors might find single-use containers cheaper to use. Customers would need to change their habits and bring containers back to the store, which some might find inconvenient. Mediloq would have to put time and money into educating customers about its product. Additionally, Mediloq has not generated gross profit from the sale of Canniloq in 2019 and 2020. The company is currently losing money by selling its product. This performance puts the company at a financial risk. While it might be possible that Canniloq succeeds in bringing a positive return to the company, it is unlikely that Mediloq will manage to create its system of reusable pill bottles. Therefore, Mediloq’s current raise is an Underweight Deal.

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Analysis written by Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau on April 17, 2022.