Entrepreneurship & Growth
Meet Jonathan Webb
21 October 2026 · 2 min read
Have you ever tried to turn the bath taps on or off with your feet? Jonathan Webb is betting that almost everyone has, and that is exactly why he designed a bath tap built to be used that way.
An idea born from a hip operation
Jonathan usually works in animation. His invention came from personal experience. Before he had his hips replaced during lockdown, he loved a relaxing bath on a Saturday morning, but as the pain in his hip got worse he found that once he was in the bath he could not sit up and lean forward far enough to change the temperature. So he tried using his feet, and found he couldn't.
That set him thinking. If there were a tap you could control with your feet, it would be ideal.
A better bath tap
As Jonathan explained to the investors, the traditional bath tap is basically a sink tap moved to a bath. At a sink you are standing right next to it, but once you are lying back in the bath the taps are out of reach. His design is a foot-operated tap, which he compared to a pedal, ideal for people with mobility issues but, he believes, simply a more ergonomic and nicer design for any bath. He has also worked on a version that could be added on to an existing bath.
The bench enjoyed the comparisons, from a car's accelerator to the wah-wah pedal Jonathan uses when he plays guitar.
The search for a manufacturer
Jonathan has spent four to five years trying to bring the tap to market. A bath manufacturer he approached was enthusiastic, but the idea was voted down by its board, and a company selling assisted bathing products wanted to take an order there and then. What he lacks is a manufacturer and the money to get production up and running, which is why he came to Pitch'd or Ditch'd looking for an investor or a partner.
The investors explored whether the idea would work better as an add-on, and it was one of the episode's most relatable pitches: a simple fix for a problem nearly everyone recognises.
Jonathan Webb joined us on The Legacy Bench for Pitch'd or Ditch'd, "6 Entrepreneurs Pitch for £5,000 — Who Gets the Money?" — read the episode story or watch the full conversation.
