- Design, develop and sell footwear
- All direct-to-consumer through their website (D2C)
Bahé
Written in November 2023. Details may have changed since.
Bootstrapped
❓ Business Model
📈 Traction
- 2000+ pairs of shoes sold
- Multiple 6-figure revenue in 18 months (launched in Feb 2022)
- Shoes are worn by Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif!
- Partnered with The Institute of Cancer research and created custom designed grounding shoes for their campaign (worn by Greg Rutherford MBE)
- Awarded loan from Virgin Start-up
- Featured in Evening Standard, Women's Fitness, The Stylist & TechRound
🌱 Founding Team
- Kishan Bharwad (Co-Founder)
- Head of Product at a FinTech firm.
- 6 figure revenue within a year of launching the business from bootstrapped.
- Alex Ward (Co-Founder)
- 15 years footwear design & Development experience.
- Experience working for Adidas & Oliver Sweeney.
- Previous footwear start-up founder.
📖 Story
Bahé was founded by Kishan Bharwad and Alex Ward. Kishan is a running enthusiast and tinkerer. Someone with a questioning mind. Coming from a software background, Kishan wanted to apply his product's knowledge to the physical world!
Tired of the running industry’s focus on speed and garish designs, he wanted to create a shoe that resonated with those who, like him, run for the sheer escapism of it. That's how he met Alex. Alex is a footwear designer with a passion for sustainability.
When Kishan asked him to partner on creating a new kind of running shoe, one which was better for people and the planet, he was all in. Bahé was created to explore how we can have a healthier connection with the earth through exercise.
👀 Reasons to watch
- They've created the world's first grounded running shoe without compromising on performance. They've been used on park runs, marathons and ultra-marathons!
- They use Innovative conductive technology in our shoes to physically 'ground' the wearer to the earth. Grounding has numerous scientifically backed benefits including reduced inflammation, enhanced performance and improved sleep.
- All of their shoes are sustainably made using plant-based and recycled materials only. Including a bio-based insole and recycled upper material.
- They offer 'barefoot-style' footwear, that offer a more natural style of movement. They offer a much wider toe box to allow your feet to splay and have a much thinner and flexible sole for increased ground feel.