Founder Stories: Creating a Company in the Outdoor Industry (Venture Snowboards, CARV, Spark R&D, & AlpenFlow Design)

BLISTER Podcast

Lots of people dream of starting a ski or snowboard or some type of company in the outdoor industry. But how do you go about actually doing that, and really getting a company off the ground? At Blister Summit 2025, I talked with four individuals who had the dream — and the audacity — to start their own companies: Klem Branner, Venture Snowboards; Will Ritter, Spark R&D; Jamie Grant, CARV; and Cobey Nash, AlpenFlow Design. Today you’ll hear them talk about the highs, the lows, and the breakthroughs that come with starting a company — and the arguably even more challenging work of keeping a company going.

RELATED LINKS:

Get Covered: BLISTER+

TOPICS & TIMES:

New Blister Cinematic Ep w/ Cody (1:00)

New BLISTER+ Members (2:01)

Founder Introductions (3:42)

How Long from Idea to Launch? (5:46)

How Did You Move from Idea to Launch? (14:41)

Starting 25 Years Ago vs Starting Today (23:45)

Funding: To Take or Not to Take? (34:01)

Audience Questions:

How did you know people would want your products? (45:33)

Tell us about your first order? (47:03)

Concerns about the future? (48:29)

How did you know this was a product worth building? (50:02)

What was your darkest moment? (52:11)

How can we best support small brands? (57:04)

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