Avoli, the Portland-based startup that makes shoes specifically for female volleyball players, raised more than $2.1 million in its latest funding round a year after it launched.
Co-founders Rick Anguilla and Mark Oleson, who created Avoli after years of watching their daughters play volleyball in shoes not made for them, said they will use the funding to hire more staff, increase marketing and broaden its product availability and reach.
Avoli originally sought to raise $1.5 million during the round, but exceeded expectations thanks to funding from co-founder of Altos Ventures Ho Nam, who's former managing director at TSG Consumer Partners, along with Rosewood Capital's Blythe Jack and Pete Saperstone of Greycroft Partners.
Avoli also raised $1 million last year from a group in tech, consumer products and private equity. The money enabled Anguilla and Oleson to kickstart Avoli’s design, marketing and manufacturing work.
Together, Anguilla and Oleson bring more than three decades of industry experience at Nike, Adidas and Under Armour to Avoli. Their shoes feature a cushioned forefoot that offers shock absorption from jumping. The wider forefoot section allows more movement but a thinner heel provides more stability.
Since launching, Avoli has expanded its products from one low-top shoe to include a mid-top option, worked with some of the region’s largest volleyball clubs on custom footwear and partnered with some of the sport’s prominent collegiate athletes to increase brand awareness.
In the beginning, the company operated strictly as a direct-to-consumer business, setting up tents at volleyball tournaments across the country to showcase its shoes. But given the brand’s success, Avoli also recently expanded into several Scheels sporting good retail locations across the country in the last few months, with plans to expand further.
