Courtesy of Alma Mater
Pros from the NFL, MLB, NHL, and golf back the footwear brand’s proprietary 3PE Technology to disrupt the golf shoe market.
Alma Mater, a golf footwear startup, announced a new group of high-profile athlete investors on July 6, highlighting its growth as it prepares for its next fundraising round. The company plans to raise $8 million, backed by several athlete investors, and is in talks with lead investment firms.
The investor group includes NFL players Jordan Poyer and Levi Wallace, MLB veterans Kevin Millar and Jackie Bradley Jr., NHL legends Joe Pavelski and Tyler Seguin, and professional golfers Taylor Montgomery and Natasha Oon. Additional investors are TV host and Olympic gold medalist Victoria Arlen, former MLB players Jed Lowrie and Chris Young, and NBA broadcaster Mike Smith.
Founded by industry veterans Nathan Brown and Laura Chen, who held leadership roles at Nike and FootJoy, the company draws on over 25 years of combined experience at major footwear brands. Brown was director of Product at Nike Golf, and Chen was senior design Lead at FootJoy. Together, they aim to transform the golf shoe market, traditionally divided between performance cleats and casual spikeless designs. This shapes the brand’s strategy.
“We build with the people who got us here,” said Nathan Brown, CEO of Alma Mater, in a statement. “This group didn’t sign on for a check. They invested because they’ve worn the shoe, they know what we’re doing differently, and they want to be part of building something that gives golf what it deserves.”
The brand’s flagship product, the Beta, features a proprietary three-piece platform called “3PE Technology.” Rather than adapting traditional cleat designs, the team used a nitrogen-infused foam midsole common in ultra-marathon running and combined it with a perimeter exoskeleton for lateral stability during the golf swing. The outsole lugs were developed with a gravel bike tire manufacturer to maximize traction without spikes.
For athlete-investors such as Montgomery, a PGA Tour professional, the product tackles golf’s long-standing footwear challenge: balancing rotational grip on the tee box with comfort during an 18-hole walk. This harmony is central to its appeal.
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Source: Black Enterprise
