Innovation First and Hasbro Announce Transformers: Age of Extinction HEXBUG Collaboration

Innovation First Stitches Licensing Agreement with Bioworld

Local Partnership to Bring HEXBUG® Apparel & Sleepwear to Retail Spring 2014

February 18, 2014 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

MAGIC MARKET WEEK 2014

GREENVILLE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Innovation First International, creators of the internationally popular HEXBUG® brand, today announced a partnership with Bioworld Merchandising, granting apparel licensing rights for HEXBUG branded t-shirts and sleepwear. Due to appear at selected retailers in the United States this Spring, the hot new HEXBUG themed boys’ apparel will be on display at MAGIC MARKET WEEK, a trade show for contemporary men’s and women’s apparel and footwear, from February 18 – 20, 2014.

“We are excited to extend the HEXBUG brand into the youth apparel market with smart, cutting-edge apparel designs, which we know our fans will geek-out over,” said Tony Norman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Innovation First International. “Bioworld’s hip, savvy, non-traditional approach to creative design, manufacturing and merchandising goes hand in hand with our brand philosophy and creative culture.”

Bioworld and Innovation First are two of the fastest-growing companies in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Bioworld Merchandising is a licensed brand apparel and accessory manufacturer that has built a solid infrastructure to support design, manufacturing, and distribution to all retail channels. Bioworld has strong relationships with major retailers and has demonstrated a keen ability to spot exciting, relevant partnerships with key youth brands.

“We are looking forward to collaborating with the Innovation First team. The HEXBUG brand embodies the attributes we find to be important in our products: innovation, quality and fun,” said Jennifer Staley, Vice President of Licensing for Bioworld. “This project is a great fit for us.”

Innovation First is a high-tech robotics and engineering company at the bleeding edge of consumer technology. HEXBUG products are designed to give children a positive experience with robotics at a young age. HEXBUG branded apparel and sleepwear joins other fun licensing partnerships that the company has forged for 2014, including a partnership with Crocs to create HEXBUG Jibbitz, decorative shoe charms that fit into the holes of Crocs shoes, as well as a new partnership with one of the year’s biggest blockbuster movies: “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” in which HEXBUG is bringing the iconic, franchise characters to life for fans of all ages, with the Transformers HEXBUG Warriors & Nano product lines.

For more information on HEXBUG, please visit: http://www.HEXBUG.com. Follow the HEXBUG brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for up to date information on this and other product news and promotions.

About Innovation First International:

Innovation First International was founded on the belief that innovation very early in the design process is necessary to produce simple and elegant product designs. Innovation First International’s three main subsidiaries, VEX Robotics, Inc., Innovation First Labs, Inc. (makers of HEXBUG® Micro Robotic Creatures), and RackSolutions, Inc. span the education, consumer and business-to-business markets.