On the Creation of a “Hyper-Performance” Trail Shoe Company: Speedland (Ep.107)

Why would two friends who’d been working at the highest levels of product design at Nike and Under Armour leave to create a hyper-specific, hyper-performance trail running shoe company? We talk to Speedland co-founders, Dave Dombrow and Kevin fallon to get the answers; to learn about their journeys into and through the design world; and to discuss the design elements of what a “hyper-performance” trail shoe looks like to them.
Components of the Speedland SL:PDX

Why would two friends who’d been working at the highest levels of product design at Nike, Under Armour, and Puma — and in some of the biggest product categories (soccer, basketball, and running) — set out to create a hyper-specific, hyper-performance trail running shoe company? We talk to the co-founders of Speedland, Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon to get the answers; to learn about their paths to becoming directors of design and innovation at some of the biggest brands in the world; and to discuss the design elements of what a “hyper-performance” trail shoe looks like to them.

TOPICS & TIMES

  • What is Speedland? (2:10)
  • Meeting at Nike Basketball (4:14)
  • Kevin Fallon’s background (6:51)
  • Dave Dombrow’s background (10:33)
  • How did you get jobs at Nike, Under Armor? (13:46)
  • Why is it so hard for brands to move into other product categories? (26:07)
  • Starting Speedland (31:39)
  • Trail shoe design (36:40)
  • Incorporating dual BOA dials (46:27)
  • Pricing (51:41)
  • Removable carbon plate (55:45)
  • 1st shoe: SL:PDX (57:38)
  • Speedland’s ‘Give Back’ program (1:03:49)
  • Optimizing for specific environments (1:05:20)
  • Price & Hyper Performance (1:07:11)
  • runspeedland.com (1:11:08)

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