Prevolve: The custom, 3D printed running shoes

Prevolve is an American startup that is dedicated to the development of custom fit shoes, with the help of 3D printing. Based in Seattle, Washington, the company has just launched their first product: The BioRunner. their shoes are produced entirely using additive manufacturing and are printed in one piece. The objective of their shoes is to improve the performance of its users while ensuring their comfort. We had the chance to talk with Oliver Brossmann, its creator to learn a little bit more about this innovative startup!

Oliver Brossmann

Can you introduce yourself and Prevolve? How did you come up with the idea?

My name is Oliver Brossmann, I’m the founder of Prevolve, a startup that 3D prints custom fit athletic footwear that is designed to empower your body. I’ve been working full time on Prevolve since its birth, 3 and a half years ago. I studied and worked in accounting, but I’ve been 3D printing for the past 5 years and taught myself the engineering required to develop a custom fit shoe.

It was 7 years ago the idea for a custom-fit, 3D Printed, minimalist soccer cleat landed in my head. I had sustained knee injuries playing soccer and I found barefoot running allowed me to run without pain. I also stumbled upon an article in the Economist about a new way of producing called 3D printing. The idea, the pain, and the problem all merged together into something new. At first, I was sure someone had to be making such shoes, but no one was. Since then, the idea has been adapted due to the limitations of 3D printing and about a month ago, we launched our first product, a custom-fit running shoe called the BioRunner. We are still developing the soccer cleat and hope to launch it in 1 to 2 years.