Entrepreneur Lecture Series to Feature Digital Cobbler, Lucy Beard
On Tuesday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m., in the College of Engineering and Information Technology, Room 1004, the Georgia Southern College of Business Administration Business Innovation Group (BIG) will host the Entrepreneur Lecture Series with speaker, Lucy Beard, as she discusses her adventures in starting Feetz, the digital cobbler for the new era.
After becoming frustrated trying on several pairs of ill-fitting shoes, Beard pondered the idea of custom-fit shoes using 3D printer technology. She and her team spent a year developing the unique SizeMe™ technology with guidance from experts in footwear and 3D printing.
Customers use the Feetz mobile app to take three pictures of each of their feet. Then, the customer designs and personalizes their Feetz shoes to fit his/her own personal style. The shoes are then 3D printed and shipped to the customer.
Feetz relocated from San Diego into The TENN Master Accelerator Program at Launch Tennessee in Chattanooga. The company has since developed patent-protected algorithms and customized software that create the 3D printable shoes from models of customers’ feet. The company has also been working on novel material compositions and material designs to extend the durability and flexibility of the 3D printable materials available. Beard has also raised $1.3 million in seed funding from Khosla Ventures and The JumpFund.
BIG is excited to have Lucy Beard share her story and amazing technology with the Georgia Southern community as it awaits the much anticipated construction of the digital fabrication laboratory (FabLab) slated to open at City Campus. Growth of the City Campus with the FabLab and Innovation Incubator will bring similar opportunities to entrepreneurs and innovators in the region.
The Entrepreneur Lecture series was developed by the Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership as a way to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit. This lecture series plays a great role in helping to harness and grow an innovative culture in the region. For more information or further inquiries, please email Suzanne Hallman, BIG business advisor, at shallman@georgiasouthern.edu.
Posted in Guest Speakers