HEADLINE: “Two shoe companies aspire to go the distance in business”

By Amanda Gasper

One innovative shoe company is making tracks to Wisconsin, and another homegrown athletic shoe company is trying to leave its own footprint on the market.

Spira Footwear and NxtMile offer footwear that prevents injuries for runners with innovative technologies.

Imagine a shoe that saves energy, reduces impact, can be adjusted, and does not wear down over time. That is what is offered by Spira Footwear, a Texas-based company that may move to Madison, according to Andy Krafsur, the CEO of the company.

“We have a revolutionary technology called WaveSpring,” Krasfur said. “It dynamically and fundamentally alters footwear to a piece of equipment.”

Instead of using foams, rubber compounds, or polymers, WaveSpring shoes have springs in the midsoles, the layer between the inner and outer sole.

“It’s a spring, a mechanical system, so it never breaks down,” Krasfur said. He added that even after 200 miles use the spring system is still in good condition.

Not only is the footwear durable, it’s tunable, according to Krasfur. He said the springs can be adjusted in number and configuration.

Krasfur said that WaveSpring technology causes less impact on the wearer than other shoe technology. He added, “It doesn’t just cushion, it returns energy. There is a 90 percent energy return.”

Spira is the official shoe sponsor for the Disney Endurance Runs.  

“Clearly people are excited about what we’re doing,” Krasfur said. “The company is already profitable.”

And now the company may move from El Paso, Texas to Wisconsin.

“We’ve been impressed with the set up in Madison,” Krasfur said. “The integration between the business, the government, and the university is impressive.”

Spira, which already has a strong investor base, is looking for investors in Madison and seeking $2 million in capital. Krasfur said, “We can’t think about leaving (El Paso, Texas) without getting a relationship with investors in Madison.”

And already located in the Madison area is another shoe company looking for investors: NxtMile. Started by UW-Madison students Mike Miller and Sean Ebert in 2007, NxtMile focuses on preventing injury and improving performance for runners over 40 and serious runners.

NxtMile creators hope to make an orthopedic insole that can be put into a customizable outer shoe, as well as making costume running shoes.

 “The first shoe line is a line of costume running shoes with a pressure mapping system,” Miller said. “We can use the information gathered, like pressure points, to tune the midsole of the shoes according to that data.”

This will improve performance and prevent injury, according to Miller.

“The fastest growing runners are 44 years old and it goes up every year,” Miller said. He added that it’s a generation that is interested in a more technologically advanced shoe.

Nxtmile will also come out with a line of insoles that will kick off sales in January.

“The second line is age and sport specific insoles, including one designed for young soccer players,” Miller said.

Sever’s disease, when the growth plate of the heel is injured, is a common problem for many soccer players. Miller said, “In some cases, it can become debilitating because of the pain.”

So there are a lot of young soccer players who could benefit from NxtMile’s insoles, according to Miller.

“You’re talking about 16 million youth soccer players alone,” he said. “Kids are more likely to become multi-sports players. They are more prone to over training.”

He added: “It is a huge market that has proven to be relatively insulated from the recession.”

Nxtmile, which won the advanced manufacturing category of the 2009 Governor’s Business Plan Contest, is seeking $500,000 in capital.

“Those of us involved in Nxtmile are having the time of our lives,” Miller said.  

Nxtmile and Spira Footwear will be presenting at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, to be held Nov. 10-11 in Madison.

Gasper is a student in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication.

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