Isaiah Steinfeld has spent the last three years growing startup ideas inside Nike (NYSE: NKE). Before that, he grew startups and new products in other corporate environments like financial tools maker Intuit. He’s also a mentor for groups like Portland Incubator Experiment and Built Oregon.
Now, this behind-the-scenes guy is building his own startup here in Portland with the help of Denver-based VF Venture Foundry. The foundry is a startup program from VF Corp., the company that owns brands including the North Face, Ice Breaker and Vans.
Through VF Venture Foundry, Steinfeld is tapping resources to build Wild Scout, his startup aimed at helping families find outdoor activities and overcome any hurdles to going out and doing those activities. As a father to a 3-year-old he understands the need.
“I’m Filipino, and so I don’t generally see myself represented in the outdoor space,” he said. “I know there are other underrepresented groups in that area. If you are not terribly familiar with the outdoor spaces, it can me overwhelming and a little intimidating to go and actually do the research and to understand and then go out and actually participate in activities.”
He added that many of the existing tools speak to people who already have a foundation of knowledge of the outdoors.
Wild Scout is designed as a discovery app for parents to find outdoor spaces and activities nearby. Steinfeld is working with a closed alpha group gathering feedback from parents to better inform what to bring to a wider group as part of a minimum viable product.
So far, he envisions a discovery platform on which users set criteria such as distance they are willing to travel, time frame or type of activity. Based on those answers, the app will surface activities and places. So far, he is gathering data from publicly available data sets like state and national parks and city parks and playgrounds.
Steinfeld has worked on Wild Scout for three months. With his experience in tech, design and startups, he can handle much of the early work on his own, including product design and strategy and writing the first lines of code.
As part of the VF Venture Foundry, he holds the title "executive in residence."
Through VF Venture Foundry, VF Corp. builds relationships with founders and creates ties more akin to that of a venture capital investor and startup. It doesn't take ownership of intellectual property, as it instead wants to help move ideas from concept to launch, Steinfeld said.
VF has invested in the company, but Steinfeld declined to disclose details. He is also in talks with other investors.
“We want to make sure we have the right folks at the table,” he said.
In addition to providing equitable access to the outdoors, he wants Wild Scout to help fight climate change. The idea is that if more people get outside and enjoy the outdoors, they will be more motivated to help save it.
“I’m careful and thoughtful on who we choose to bring along on this journey. VF Corp and Venture Foundry is great partner. They have the expertise and permission to speak in the space through the North Face,” Steinfeld said. “I’m taking the lens and approach as a person that doesn’t traditionally see themselves in the space and doesn’t have the experience of hiking and camping. Having the trust and support of a company like the North Face where they 1000% know…and bridging that gap and using them as an adviser to make sure I get it right is important.”
