After closing a $5 million seed round, OROS Apparel just launched a new fall line as well as a redesigned website. The new assets mark the evolution of the quickly growing outdoor apparel startup, which launched in 2015 with capital raised through Kickstarter.
The line includes an even lighter and thinner version of the company’s flagship product, the Orion Parka. The OROS quarter-zip, which was named “Gear of the Year” by Runner’s World, has been improved with a new inner layer of breathable sports mesh. The star of the fall line is the new Endeavor jacket, which has been specially designed for all outdoor activities. Its features include a powder skirt, waterproof breathability and a helmet-adjustable hood.
Each piece of OROS apparel is insulated with their signature SolarCore, a lightweight solid that OROS adapted from Aerogel, which is used by NASA to insulate space shuttles. SolarCore is thin, breathable, waterproof, and durable — unlike the traditional insulators used in outdoor apparel, such as goose down.
Shopping for OROS products just got easier with the new website launch, which features a new and innovate site design as well as improved backend and user experience.
“It’s going to be a kind of website you haven’t seen in retail or outdoor space before,” said OROS Senior Director of Marketing and E-Commerce Adam Eshman. “It’s much more interactive and engaging, almost as if you’re in the elements as you navigate the site. How we talk about the brand and technology all come to life through this website.”
Shoppers can also enjoy free shipping anywhere in the U.S., which takes just 2-5 days, depending on their location.
“As a company, we want to help you find your beyond,” said OROS co-founder and CEO Michael Markesbery. “We believe in pushing your limits further than you have ever been able to do before. Between our amazing product selection and updated branding, that’s really going to come across and resonate with our consumer base.”
Since launching in 2015 with Markesbery and his co-founder Rithvik Venna as the only employees, OROS has grown to a team of 12 full-time employees. Items the company can also check off its list include another successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016, a line of credit with Silicon Valley Bank, a viral video showing the Orion parka stands the test of -32 degree liquid nitrogen, customers across 47 countries and its founders being named to Forbes 2018 30 Under 30 list in the retail and e-commerce category.
Investors in the $5 million seed round include Sonny Vu, the founder and former CEO of Misfit Wearables; Eric Dobkin, a former partner at Goldman Sachs known as ‘the Father of the Modern IPO’; NCT Ventures in Columbus; and Listen Ventures, a brand-focused venture capital firm based in Chicago.
Markesbery attributes the remarkable growth of OROS to their amazing team and their contagious passion for the brand’s mission.
“One of the things that makes this team really awesome is that everyone has a huge competitive spirit, likes to win and has an amazing sense of grit,” Markesbery said. “You fail a lot and make a lot of mistakes when you’re at a startup. A lot of these people are able to overcome making these mistakes.”
Markesbery and Venna, who are only 25, receive guidance in running their business from their advisory board, which is made up of people who they say know way more than they do. It includes Vu; Sarah Buckley, manager and director of Key Bank capital markets; and John Berger, previous chief of cybersecurity for U.S. Military. The two were able to connect with members of their advisory board through the alumni network and professors at their alma mater, Miami University.
The young co-founders attracted the attention of those on their advisory board by simply putting all of their effort into OROS. Markesbery related this to a childhood memory of seeing a man pushing his car and someone actually stopping to help him push, which is something he had never seen before. “What I learned is that from giving something 100 percent and pushing that car forward, you’re going to have people that stop and want to help you,” Markesbery said.
“We’re a little bit different than a typical consumer brand. What makes us different is that we truly believe innovation is key to moving an industry forward,” Markesbery said. “What you can expect form us over the next couple of years outside of explosive growth is continuing innovation within our market and coming out with novel products that really address consumers’ needs.”
Editor's Note: Markesbery and Venna were recently featured in Cincy Inno's 25 Under 25 list.
