© 2025 IdeaJudge Inc. All rights reserved.
Globally, the lack of economic opportunity and unemployment are seen as major social issues facing humanity.
IdeaJudge’s mission is to play a role in helping to create economic opportunity by inspiring innovation. Innovation leads to business growth, job creation and many social and economic benefits to society.
Lourence Greyvenstein, our founder, encountered a simple yet frustrating problem in 1985 on a Saturday morning. While tending to his garden, Lourence faced the inconvenience of an overstuffed trash bag that resisted closure. This moment of annoyance made him ask: Could there be a way to design a trash bag that could be filled to the brim yet closed effortlessly?
Driven by curiosity and determination, he looked for a solution. With a pair of scissors, he experimented with cutting the bag's open edge into various shapes, seeking the ideal design for easy closure. His persistence paid off, leading to the invention of the Quick-tie bag®. The open end of the bag is in the form of a wave, creating 4 flaps that are cross tied to close the opening. This innovative product, later commercialized by Glad® in the USA and by other companies internationally, made it easier for consumers to manage their trash. Since its introduction in 1994, the Quick-tie bag has enjoyed tremendous success, generating royalties for Lourence until the expiration of his US Patent No. 5246110 in 2007.
However, the path from that initial "aha moment" to market success was anything but straightforward. Lourence’s journey spanned 10 years, challenging his perseverance and determination. It was a testament to the hurdles inventors face when bringing their ideas to fruition, especially when navigating the complexities of licensing products to companies.
This experience has since become the bedrock upon which IdeaJudge is built. Lourence was inspired by his son Jacques to leverage his journey and to empower other inventors facing similar challenges. IdeaJudge emerged from this vision, with a mission to inspire innovation in the workplace and beyond.