Soarce LLC hopes the hottest new shoes of 2023 are made from leather — seaweed leather to be exact.
The Orlando-based startup can turn seaweed in a high-function leather that can be fashioned into apparel and shoes while still 100% renewable.
Led by University of Central Florida alumni and mentored through the leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator in Orlando, Soarce this year will begin early manufacturing of its innovative material.
That's why Soarce was named one of 10 2023 Startups to Watch by Orlando Inno. Here's more from two of the firm's founders, CEO Derek Saltzman and COO Mason Mincey:
What does Soarce LLC do? We leverage material science to help apparel brands transition their future product lines into 100% renewable without compromising on performance. We do so by re-engineering seaweed into highly functional but low-impact leathers for goods, such as shoes and car seats, or into fire-resistant technical fabrics you'd want in things such as campfire coats or motorsports jackets.
What was your company's biggest accomplishment in 2022? We signed a license agreement with a large shoe brand that previously was owned by Louis Vuitton. A brand new shoe concept will be launched in 2023 using the first seaweed leather. We graduated from the leAD accelerator program.
What are you working on in 2023? To close our pre-seed round of capital financing and set up our first low-volume manufacturing facility to begin pilot studies and co-development agreements with textile manufacturers and designers.
Soarce LLC
- Headquarters: Orlando
- Founded: 2020
- Capital raised since founding: $175,000
- Full-time employees: Four
- Website: soarceusa.com
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