Short Summary
ShoeSense was started by Connor Winter while he was an athlete at the University of Colorado-Boulder. While at CU, Connor helped the team win two NCAA Cross Country championships and earned multiple All-American honors. Immediately after graduating from CU, Connor had surgery due to an overuse injury that kept him from training and competing for the better part of two years.
While recovering from injury, Connor combined his love for running with his mechanical engineering degree to create ShoeSense. Connor spent hours in the CU Biomechanics Lab working to identify the metrics that are most important to track in an effort to avoid injury. His goal for ShoeSense was to create a wearable sensor that could gather and quantify data, then distill that data into relevant information that keeps runners healthy. The health and performance metrics Connor found through his research provide an accurate representation of the load on the body from every run, and ShoeSense is able to promptly alert runners when the load is too high and could cause injury.
Connor currently trains as a professional distance runner. He and the team are fortunate to have all the best coaching, strength, PT and recovery tools at their disposal. Connor wants to make the knowledge and information he's learned through his support system and bring it to all runners through ShoeSense so they can avoid injury.
The ShoeSense journey starts with finding the right running shoe for your unique stride using the patented Shoe Selector technology that quantifies the impact and rotation in felt in each shoe. Once you have selected the right shoe, ShoeSense helps you optimize your training paces using our Baseline Test to make sure you are not over or under trained. After your paces are dialed in, ShoeSense provides a customized training plan built by our team of coaches and professional athletes. You'll run workouts tailored to your ability level and goals that are designed to keep you healthy while building fitness.
What We Need & What You Get
We are seeking $10,000 in funding to offset the cost of our first round of prototype devices. We currently have ten fully-functional devices out in the field being worn and tested by elite and recreational runners alike.
In supporting this campaign, you'll receive perks like early access to the ShoeSense device, ShoeSense apparel, and training plans from pro athletes and coaches. The training plans will provide insight into the pros' favorite workouts that led to breakout races. On top of the training plans, you get the peace of mind knowing that ShoeSense is monitoring you and your shoes health every step of your training journey towards reaching your goals.
If we do not reach our $10,000 goal, we'll use the money to purchase the devices for everyone who purchased a ShoeSense device through the campaign.
The Impact
Our goal with ShoeSense is to share our love of running with as many people as possible and keep runners healthy. Running has had such an impact on our lives, and we want others to be able to experience the amazing benefits of running. In providing a product that keeps runners healthy and creates a connection between runners, we hope to make the running world a more approachable, enjoyable, and inclusive endeavor.
Our team has success in building running-based companies Tinman Elite and Hammer & Axe that have engaged and connected runners all over the world. Our goal is to use our experience and community with these companies to integrate the ShoeSense device into our existing ecosystem. Running can be daunting, and our goal is to help you make sense of running at every step.
How We're Different
We'll be the first to acknowledge that there are plenty of wearables out there that can track your data. Where our competition falls short is in providing an easy-to-digest analysis of that data that is useful, not overwhelming. Our goal at ShoeSense is to interpret your data, then distill that data into meaningful feedback that helps make you a better, healthier runner. With our Shoe Selector, Baseline Test and our customized training plans, we're by your side throughout every step in your running journey.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you are unable to contribute to this campaign, we would love it if you shared it with anyone who is a runner. We appreciate your support and we want to reach as many people as possible. Help us spread the word by using the Indiegogo sharing tools!
