Give the guy some money - and a strategy

Shoes from Oregon have made some footprints in the sports world over the years. And now another  venture may challange Nike by offering a "one-size-fits-all-technique" that creates the perfect fit for your feet.

The inventor Rob Lyden has developed a technique based on insoles filled with polymer, designed to be light-cured in less than two minutes to conform exactly to an individual's foot. Now he is looking for investors and retailers. Everything according to The Business Journal of Portland.

I think it´s a great invention that I would have payed a lot to lay my hands on. But my question is, will I be able to do that within reasonable time? Because we have some serious strategy issues here. What strikes me the most is that Lyden is offering his own designed shoes instead of licensing the technology to other shoemakers. That means Lyden now is in the fashion business, which is a completely different industry. In short here are the problems:

- Fashion people normally don't care about technlogy, not even when it comes to new clothes - if
Lyden manages to sell his own design, he probably could have done that without the tech in the shoes
- By selling his own shoes he has to build a brand from scratch. Why not have a free ride on the one of the leading brands that can profitize from being first.

I hope he will make it, the idea is terrific. But somebody should help him with his strategy.