Avoli

Thanks to Professor Greg Hoffman and the UO Sports Product Management Master’s Program for having me in. I'm sure I learned more fron them than vice versa. https://lnkd.in/gTECQP-a

Geez, are we glad we started Avoli when we did. When Mark Oleson and I sat down to build the first performance brand exclusively for women and girl volleyball athletes none of the following had taken place: ·     Volleyball would become the #1 sports for U.S. High School girls ·     Over 91,00 fans would squeeze into a football stadium to watch the University of Nebraska women’s team play a match ·     Not one, but two leagues (League One Volleyball + Pro Volleyball Federation) would start up in the U.S., providing an alternative to having to go overseas for a professional career in the sport ·     The NCAA Women’s Finals would be broadcast on ESPN and draw a record audience ·     The first OMG would be shouted after seeing the beach volleyball venue at the Paris Olympics All that in just the last year. We’re fortunate to have launched Avoli a year ago and the reaction from women and girl volleyball athletes has been incredibly validating. We set out with a clear mission to make products that would help them stay on the court to play the game they love. Given that volleyball athletes jump (and land) 4 times as much as basketball players, we identified the need for better cushioning, fit and breathability for women volleyball athletes. We also identified the opportunity to be the brand that celebrates the volleyball athlete. Their desire to have color and style in their volleyball footwear at the same level they do in the rest of their closet. And finally, we knew that our product design and brand communications needed to be led by women. So, thank you to Studio Noyes and the Alt League for the true partnership in bringing that vision to life. In the announcement out today, we’re proud to say we’ve opened our first retail account and it's a great partner. Scheels is the 34-store Midwest-based chain with a stellar reputation for customer service around team sports. (Quick fact: the SCHEELS store outside Dallas is the world's largest sporting goods store. It is Texas after all). We've also signed 7 new athletes to NIL deals and their content has just started to hit social media. Also, the first creative from our brand new Hits Different campaign features three of those great new athletes so please take a look below. And lastly, we announced that our initial funding round which we had targeted at $1.5M is closed at $2.1M. The faith shown by our early investors mirrors that of the young athletes, volleyball Moms + Dads, coaches, and club directors we’ve met in our short time as a brand. We’ve consistently underestimated the demand for our footwear and are working every opportunity to fill that void. (To the more than 91,000 members of the FB Group Volleyball Moms, we’re trying!!!) https://lnkd.in/gDmXjFXX

There’s been much debate of late about the impact of NIL on college sports and there are certainly valid arguments on its relative plusses + minuses. Watching the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Regionals this weekend was just a great reminder that when they’re out on the court, every one of these athletes were there because of their love for the sport. The combination of passion and ridiculous skill level on display reminds us why we love watching sports. We’re making footwear designed to help keep these athletes on the court and it’s great watching the sport of women’s volleyball have its moment. #becausevolleyball

Avoli is delivering tremendous product innovation, leading with footwear, for women’s volleyball 🏐

Start-up brands like Avoli, the new volleyball shoe brand founded by friends in Portland and market-share trailer #puma have to be creative getting their brand known and recruiting college athletes. So they’ve turned to signing individual shoe deals that may conflict with school-wide contracts with #Adidas and #Nike. See this #wsj article about #Flaujae Johnson. But isn’t that what Nike would want after all, athletes being the real stars that drive appeal for the brands of THEIR choice?  Shouldn’t leading brands try to win on quality and brand cache, not on contract terms? Way to go Avoli! #sports #sportsmarketing #business #leadership #competition #nil #studentathletes #branding #brand #marketing Rick Anguilla Mark Oleson https://lnkd.in/gmmKNxgh