In less than a year since its launch, Allyson Felix’s Saysh is about to get even bigger and better.
As previously reported by AfroTech, the Olympian co-founded the athletic footwear brand following her departure from Nike due to their lack of support for pregnant female athletes and new mothers. Then, during the 2021 Olympics, Felix made a beautiful statement by wearing her own brand on the track.
“I did have a little moment. When I crossed the finish line and I looked down at my spikes. These beautiful handcrafted Saysh spikes. And I was like, ‘I did this in my own shoes,’” Felix shared in a fireside chat with UBS.
Multi-Million Dollar Investment
Saysh has now gone on to secure a multi-million dollar investment in its Series A funding round, according to Footwear News. The round was led by Iris Ventures along with participation from Redpoint Ventures. The terms of the deal are set to be revealed on May 3.
The new funding is set to go toward scaling “its sneaker and footwear collections, which are made specifically for female feet.” Additionally, it will help “scale its own e-commerce and wholesale distribution.” Plus, along with creating footwear designs, Saysh is also looking to expand into more than only sneakers.
Saysh's Near Future Plans
Saysh is driven by wanting to actively support women and it has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
Felix’s brother, manager, and fellow co-founder Wes Felix shared with the outlet that it will be working to find ways to further fulfill the needs of its customers.
“We’re going to look at brand-building, and how we can let women know that we’re building a company, a brand that’s really for them. Our overarching goal is to make sure that we’re building a better future for women,” he said.
He continued: “We’ll be building our team in a thoughtful way, looking at research and development, and making sure that we’re really creating products that are made specifically for women’s bodies. Right now, in the industry, that’s just not how it’s done.”
