We Drifters’ story

Naudia Salmon, CEO of We Drifters, first developed the idea for the business when travelling in South East Asia. After struggling to sleep at night with biting mosquitos, insect repellent and restrictive netting, she quickly realised there was a gap in the market.

When she returned home, Naudia investigated how existing tech could be used to create a premium sleepwear brand to keep insects at bay. The end product, We Drifters, is a sustainable, innovative solution, keeping wearers comfortable and giving them peace of mind. We Drifters sleepwear is made from bamboo fabric infused with an anti-insect treatment, meaning that it keeps up to 90% of biting insects away.

“The best thing about being part of the Nexus community is the access to the great founders and partner organisations that are part of the wider ecosystem. It has helped us reach the right people at the right time.”

As Naudia looked to scale the business, We Drifters first began to work with Nexus as part of the BUILD programme. The BUILD programme is a 12-week programme for aspiring business leaders in the Leeds City Region. It encourages regional growth and innovation, and brings together a diverse community of founders, experts and organisations that provides active support to businesses throughout, including We Drifters.

“You can really feel that everyone at Nexus wants to support each other, there’s a sense of being different, innovative, and wanting to make the world a better place.”

Since becoming part of the Nexus community through BUILD, We Drifters have realised significant benefits. As part of the community, We Drifters have had access to our network of Professional Service Partners. We Drifters have worked with KPMG, one of our partners, to navigate some of the logistics and customs hurdles that arise when working internationally.

We Drifters have gone from strength to strength since becoming part of our community – we’re really looking forward to seeing what they do next.