Design and manufacturing of custom-made climbing shoes for climbing, applying 3D printing technology developed by HP on the Sant Cugat del Vallès campus. This is the business idea of Athos, a startup founded in Barcelona two years ago by four students from an Elisava master's program, which has just started commercializing its first pairs and opened a 250,000 euro funding round.
Fans of this sport, Romina Milesi, Emili Taixés, Mar Amengual, and Carla Barrientos launched Athos with the challenge of providing climbers with shoes that are completely personalized and adapted to the morphology of their feet, one of the most complex bone structures in the body, since no two feet are alike. To avoid injuries—very common among climbers—it is essential to use climbing shoes of an appropriate size that are respectful of the shape and biomechanics of the foot and ankle.
"Every foot is unique," Athos points out, and hence the vision of creating perfectly adapted climbing shoes through the use of 3D printing technology. "We clearly see the opportunity to add value in this market niche," explains Romina Milesi, CEO of Athos, who admits that climbing shoes are just a first step, as the startup's goal is to expand to personalized shoes for other sports and even make the leap to the lifestyle segment. "Climbing is a starting point; we want to demonstrate that we can bring a lot of value by offering a solution to this demanding market, that is, to gain credibility that will then allow us to expand to other verticals," explains Milesi.
"With 3D technology, we will change the shoe industry, as it offers us total freedom in designs and, furthermore, favors local production, which implies great environmental advantages," explains Don Albert, head of HP's 3D footwear printing area and former Reebok executive. "With additive manufacturing, there's no need to be in Asia, because not much labor is needed and, moreover, no waste is generated," he adds, after emphasizing that "the personalization allowed by 3D will mean a radical change for the sector."
According to Don Albert, HP already works with some major footwear brands, but also seeks to partner with innovative startups like Athos "that can be very successful" and "show large companies that this change is possible." In this sense, HP is not only the multinational that has designed the technology for 3D printers, but it is also the company responsible for producing the shoes that Athos commercializes. It does so from the factory-laboratory it owns in the DFactory, the innovation hub for industry 4.0 promoted by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB).
The HP Parts Manufacturing Lab occupies an area of 1,000 square meters in the DFactory and currently has 22 3D machines that work for different clients with the aim of scaling the various technological solutions developed by HP and helping clients to start and deepen their adoption of additive manufacturing. According to Don Albert, HP is currently manufacturing an order of 10,000 pairs of shoes for a major brand in the DFactory, although he does not reveal its identity.
On a smaller scale, HP has also already produced the first 50 pairs of climbing shoes that Athos has sold, which began the commercialization phase last December. Each pair, in this so-called beta phase, costs around 180 euros. "We started sales on December 1, 2022, after more than 200 prints and technical tests with federated climbing professionals," explains Emili Taixés, also CEO of the firm.
Before 3D production, Athos must scan the client's two feet, that is, digitize them with an orthopedic scanner, although later this step can also be done from a mobile application that will allow measurements to be taken using the photogrammetry technique, that is, it will be possible to order custom Athos shoes from anywhere in the world. Once the foot data is captured, Athos transfers it to its own software that they have developed and patented over the last two years and which designs the perfectly fitted climbing shoe. This information is what is provided to HP to proceed with the personalized printing of each piece.
The material used to manufacture the climbing shoe in HP printers is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powder supplied by Basf. To this body, Athos then adds the laces and a vulcanized sole to ensure grip. According to Romina Milesi, potential customers are "innovative climbers" who are committed to adopting the maximum technology and also users who have adaptability problems with products from conventional brands, for example, due to having a left foot very different from the right. "80% of people have a longer left foot than their right," says Athos, adding that not wearing appropriate footwear "can lead to multiple injuries and chronic problems."
Milesi highlights that "it is the first time that climbing shoes have been manufactured with 3D technology," a system that, like a startup, provides them with speed, unlimited design potential, and reduced capex investment. The 3D printers that HP has in the DFactory can produce up to 9 pairs at a time, in a cycle that lasts around twelve hours. To assemble the soles and prepare shipments, Athos plans to set up its own workshop by the end of the year.
Athos is headquartered in Poblenou and currently, in addition to the four partners, already employs seven people. "Until now we have financed ourselves with our own resources, but we have just opened a financing round of 250,000 euros that we want to close as soon as possible," Taixés and Milesi announce. The objective is to have resources to finance growth, expand the team, and develop the mobile application that will allow the brand to "delocalize and internationalize," since customers will not have to physically go to their facilities to scan their feet. "We are also going to improve our software, which we have already patented, because that is what generates value," both partners add. The challenge is to be able to launch the app by Christmas 2024.
Athos is promoting its product among climbing federations, in specialized sector stores, and also in climbing gyms where indoor climbing is practiced, a modality that has experienced a strong boom in large cities. "We have been experiencing a real boom in indoor climbing for two years, which provides us with a new target of customers to address," concludes Taixés.
Recently, Athos partners have also visited the HP campus in Sant Cugat with the aim of offering climbing enthusiasts working at the center the possibility of acquiring personalized climbing shoes manufactured with the technology developed by their company. Sant Cugat hosts HP's global center for the development of 3D printers for industrial uses, both in plastic and metal printing. In addition, the global division of large-format printers, the business that has traditionally been the spearhead of the facilities, is also based in the Catalan complex.