Inventor thinks he's found the Holy Grail of footwear
By Robin J. Moody
The Business Journal of Portland
Updated: 7:00 p.m. ET Feb. 13, 2005
No matter how well-designed a shoe is, it will never fit every type of foot. It's a truth that has long plagued big sneaker companies.
"For me, the appeal of having a way to customize for individual's functional needs is the Holy Grail of research and development. When R&D people get together for beers, this problem always comes up," said Ned Frederick, a former Nike Sports Lab research director and now a consultant with New Hampshire-based Exeter Research.
But a local inventor, coach, author and athlete believes he has the answer to the quandary of how to make customized shoes that can still be produced affordably on a large scale.
Rob Lyden, founder of Q-Branch Inc., has been refining the concept for nine years, and has accumulated a broad portfolio of patented intellectual property to support the project. (The Q in Q-Branch stands for Quintessence.)
Now he is seeking $750,000 in stage-one investor capital to make his vision a reality. He plans to use the money to produce samples not only of running and soccer shoes, but of light shoe insoles, a wheeled skate, and several pieces of custom-fit sports equipment, including a shin guard, that could use the same technology as the insoles.
The samples would be used in sales presentations, and would pave the way for a second round of venture funding once the company has the sales orders to finance production.
Lyden says he has several prospects, but no one has yet agreed to fund his business.
"I've taken it as far as I can by bootstrapping. I've been able to invest in patents, and it's now beyond proof of concept," said Lyden, who holds more than 30 patents.
The prototype shoes have several unique components. Insoles filled with polymer are designed be light-cured in less than two minutes to conform exactly to an individual's foot. The light-curing would be done at a point-of-purchase display inside a retail setting, Lyden said. The same light-cure technology can be used for individual-fit shin guards and other personal protective equipment.
The sole is then inserted into the shoe, which has a visibly different design.
Rather than a traditional sole, Lyden's "spring sole" has a gap between the heel and the bottom of the shoe. The advantage of carbon-fiber spring design is improved shock-absorbing capability, among other benefits.
"One thing about Rob's shoes is that they have a unique look. It may or may no be fashionable, but at least it's different," said Peter Moore, who worked at Nike Inc. for about 10 years, including a stint as its first creative director.
Moore, who also briefly served as the president of Adidas America, added that the design of Lyden's shoe "returns energy" to its wearer -- another elusive goal of performance footwear designers.
Lyden contends that in head-to-head tests, his shoe returned more energy, better reduced shock to the wearer, and provided better stability than today's top-selling running shoes.
Market forces may also be aligning in ways that could support Lyden's products -- if he can land the money to get the enterprise off the ground.
Retro styles have dominated the market for years, said Fredrick, "but technical is coming back."
However, no products have captured the imagination of consumers the way the Nike Air line did decades ago, Fredrick and Moore agreed, although Nike Shox created some buzz.
"There's been a lot of marketing noise, but nothing all that interesting or earth-shattering," Moore said.
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