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Allbirds, Inc. is an American company that sells
Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown got the idea for the company while he was vice captain of the New Zealand football team. He had previously attended business school and used to make leather shoes for friends but was aware of how uncomfortable they were. In 2014, he received a research grant from the New Zealand wool industry to engineer a sneaker. He then launched his idea on
footwear
Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves ...
and apparel. The company claims to keep its products as eco-friendly as possible and is a certified B Corporation. Allbirds uses a direct-to-consumer model in conjunction with distribution via select additional stores, selling its products through its website and retail stores in addition to select Nordstrom and Dick's Sporting Goods locations.
History
Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown got the idea for the company while he was vice captain of the New Zealand football team. He had previously attended business school and used to make leather shoes for friends but was aware of how uncomfortable they were. In 2014, he received a research grant from the New Zealand wool industry to engineer a sneaker. He then launched his idea on Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
, raising US$119,000 in five days. After launching on Kickstarter, Brown teamed up with Joey Zwillinger, a biotech
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...
engineer and renewable materials expert. They began developing their process and officially launched Allbirds in March 2016. The name Allbirds is a reference to New Zealand having almost no native land mammals. It is a land of "all birds".
During their first year in business, the company raised US$7.25 million from investors including Maveron
Maveron is an American venture capital firm that invests in consumer-only and early-stage companies, with offices in Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California. The firm was co-founded by Dan Levitan and former Starbucks chief executive H ...
, Lerer Hippeau Ventures and other firms. In December 2017, Allbirds sued Steve Madden
Steven Madden (born March 23, 1958) is an American fashion designer and businessman. He is the founder and former CEO of Steve Madden, Ltd., a publicly traded company.
Life and career
Madden was born in Far Rockaway, Queens, the son of a Jewi ...
, alleging that the company's Traveler shoes look nearly identical to its Wool Runners.
As of 2017, the company had 50 employees in their headquarters in San Francisco, US; 40 employees at its warehouse in Nashville, US; and 350 contractors in a factory in South Korea. In the end of 2017 the company launched in Australia. In October 2018, the company raised US$50 million in Series C funding, bringing its total valuation to . The company went public on the Nasdaq
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
on 3 November 2021 under the ticker symbol BIRD.
Products
The company launched with one product, the Wool Runners casual sneakers. The company has since expanded to offer other footwear, including running shoes and flip flops as well as apparel. Allbirds has collaborated with other brands to produce limited edition products, includingOutdoor Voices
Outdoor Voices (sometimes just O.V.) is an American clothing company, focused on the design and sale of athletic apparel. The company was founded in 2013 by Tyler Haney in New York City, and is now headquartered in Austin. The company's products a ...
and Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...
. In May 2020, Allbirds announced a partnership with Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacture ...
.
Further reading
*References
External links
* {{authority control, state=expanded Shoe companies of the United States Companies based in San Francisco Kickstarter-funded products Benefit corporations 2014 establishments in New Zealand 2021 initial public offerings Companies listed on the Nasdaq B Lab-certified corporations