A pair of former Nike executives are launching a company they hope will turn consumer retail on its head by removing disposability.
Their first target: the backpack.
The company is called Pacmodo and it goes live today with a Kickstarter campaign. Founders David Ngene, CEO, and Sebastian Tesche, chief product officer, are aiming to raise at least $50,000 to help pay for their first purchase order.
The Pacmodo backpack is designed to be modular so it can grow or shrink based on a person’s needs. There is a component with the straps that can zip onto three different sized packs. Each piece can be replaced and used components are meant to be refurbished and resold, said Ngene.
Once someone is done with a part they can send it back and the company will re-sell it. Each component has an NFC chip built in that will send consumers to a website they will trace the journey of that piece, he added.
“We want to sell components two to three times over its lifecycle,” he said. Materials used are built to last and are tough outdoor quality. They can also be recycled at the end of its lifecycle.
The idea for Pacmodo came to Ngene during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. He watched as his neighbor cleaned out her closets and was throwing away eight almost new backpacks, he said. He asked her why, and she had reasons why each one didn’t work her anymore and she was just going to settle for a pack that mostly worked for her needs.
“Everyone settles for good enough in backpacks,” he said, but what if a pack could be more customized and change depending on use?
He thought it could make consumers happy and help eliminate waste. In a world of recycle, reduce, reuse, he thought it was time to focus on the reduce and reuse parts of that strategy.
Ngene and Tesche are part of a growing number of Nike alum who are turning to entrepreneurial pursuits in life post-Swoosh. Ngene was at the apparel company for 10 years working in innovation and Tesche was at the compapny for 20 years. When Tesche left he was global product director for men’s running footwear.
The duo prototyped their backpack with Bozeman, Montana-based Wookey Design Studio, which specializes in backpack product design. They made 30 packs that have been tested with consumers across different lifestyle needs from parents to urban professionals to day trippers.
They opted to launch with a Kickstarter to not only demonstrate traction to future investors but to build excitement from consumers.
“(Kickstarter) is an incredible marketing vehicle and it forces you to come correct (to the market),” said Ngene.
The packs are being made by a contract manufacturer in Vietnam that works with all the big brands, said Ngene. They have plans to order 600 of each of the three-pack models in in black and yellow color options and 5,000 of the harness components, said Ngene.
The packs come in 35-liter, 26-liter and 18-liter sizes. Packs are expected to retail between $265 and $185 and the harness at $65. There will be bundled options to buy. The entire bundle is expected to be $695.
“It’s a lot for a pack, but you never have to buy another one,” said Ngene. He also noted that for the first week of the Kickstarter there is a 30% discount on the price and then 20% for the remainder of the campaign. Pre-orders will launch on the Pacmodo in October, following the completion of the Kickstarter.
To date, Ngene and Tesche have funded the company themselves along with a six-figure friends and family round. The company is a team of five.
Ultimately, Ngene would like Pacmodo to get into other consumer areas, but, he wants to go deep on this market first.
“The first $20 million in revenue will be in these bags. There is no need to rush (to other markets),” he said, adding that he already sees the next iteration of product focusing on school backpacks and kids' ability to customize backpacks to outfits or collaborations.
