Meet Keith, a seasoned tech entrepreneur and venture investor who's built multiple breakthrough companies at the intersection of technology and human performance. As the founder of FitLinxx (which reached #20 on the Deloitte Fast 500) and Great Play (a three-time Entrepreneur 500 company), he pioneered innovations in fitness technology and tech-enabled children's motor skill development, scaling these ventures to serve millions of users worldwide. Now, as a Managing Director at Techstars in Washington DC and NYC, he helps guide the next generation of founders applying transformative technology to help people thrive. With multiple patents in sensor and machine vision technology, over $50 million raised in venture funding, and degrees from Cornell and MIT, Keith brings deep technical expertise and practical experience to his role as an investor and advisor to ambitious entrepreneurs.
We sat down with Keith to discuss his IAMBIC experience and discover how this tech enthusiast found an unexpected revelation in precision-fit footwear, realizing he'd never actually known what a truly well-fitting shoe felt like until his heels stopped slipping.
How did it feel wearing a true one-of-one pair of shoes crafted just for you?
The most interesting thing about them being crafted just for me is how well they fit. And I had never even noticed that my shoes didn't fit right. My other shoes don't hurt me - they just slosh around. My feet kind of move around in them to make up for that. With these, the heels actually stay on the whole time and it fits snugly yet still comfortably. And I'd never experienced that before. And it ends up being much better for walking around and putting miles on them each day, walking around the streets of New York. They just stay comfortable all day.
How do you feel about the look and style of the shoes?
So I was actually surprised by how cool they look too and how I wear them with just about anything. I'm now finding that I put them on whether it's with jeans or with a jacket or whatever it might be and it just dresses them up and I feel better wearing them. And then people who notice shoes actually comment - this has never happened to me in my life. People will actually comment, "Those are cool, where'd you get those?" So I love it.
I like being an early adopter of new technology. My home's fully automated. I wear the latest trackers on fingers and wrists and things. And so when people notice and ask "What are those shoes? Those are pretty cool," I have a really interesting story to tell. I took three pictures of my feet and they sent me a custom pair that fit just right and they're super comfortable.
What aspects of IAMBIC’s technology impressed you the most?
It was just really cool to be able to take just three pictures of my foot to be able to get the sense that this thing is going to be built just for me. It didn't actually seem likely to be possible that it would be that simple. And then when I first put them on and they fit exactly right and the heels don't slip and they stay on and they're comfortable, it just really hit home that that's how all shoes should be made. So it was just a really cool process.
What excites you the most about your shoes becoming more personalized with each pair through the Sole Print technology?
So my very first pair of IAMBICs already fit really well. The fact that as I wear them more and more - you can see I'm getting some wear on them already - as I wear them more and more, the fact that it might even get better is pretty surprising, but it also makes it that I'm not likely to ever switch to another type of shoe. It's hard to picture what better would feel like, but the fact that more data will help out, that's pretty cool.
Can you describe the moment you first put on your IAMBIC shoes and felt the precision fit?
So the first time I got my IAMBICs and I put them on, I really wasn't quite sure what to expect. I thought they'd be good. And they felt about right just putting them on, like a nice normal snug shoe that fits right. But then it was really walking around in them the first time and going, "That's weird. The heel's not slipping off." And I'd never really experienced a dress shoe where it stayed on tightly. My loafers, my heel just kind of comes in and out and that's why they are comfortable.
But these, the heels staying in and I find that the shoes kind of hugging me as I'm walking and it wasn't in an uncomfortable way. And then it turns out that as you walk all day - and I put a few miles on them a day in New York - they stay comfortable all day. My feet never get tired. So it's really quite impressive and cool technology.
How has experiencing precision fit transformed your expectations for all footwear?
Some shoes that are many times the price that I tend to wear are one of 12 sizes and they don't fit quite right. So when we're talking about these sorts of price points, the fact that this customization isn't part of them is actually now surprising.
This is the kind of technology - and I love new technology - but this is the kind of technology that you just now say, "I don't know why this didn't exist before." And it becomes obvious once you start using them that it should have always existed and all shoes should be made this way. It doesn't make sense that we just buy half sizes apart and they fit broadly, maybe okay. Your shoes should be made to fit you. And it's way more comfortable.
As a runner, as an athlete, just knowing that I'm doing a good service to my body is incredible.It’s the reason that I love my IAMBIC shoes. It's that precision that makes me feel safe to walkdown the street, get on the subway, do my commute, bring my kids to school, and not feelconcerned that I'm doing it in a shoe that doesn't fit right or that doesn't feel good.
The most interesting thing about them being crafted just for me is how well they fit. And I hadnever even noticed that my shoes didn't fit right. My other shoes don't hurt me - they just slosharound. With these, the heels actually stay on the whole time and it fits snugly yet stillcomfortably. And I'd never experienced that before. They just stay comfortable all day.
The thing that I was surprised by the most with the precision fit is that any pressure points thatI had been feeling with the shoes that I previously came in wearing were completely gone. I waswearing a shoe that wasn't too tight. It wasn't too loose. The sole fit just right. Total comfort.That's the best way to put it.
So I suffer from chronic foot pain and I believe that a lot of that has to do with wearing shoesthat actually don't fit. Whenever I wear my IAMBICs, I've noticed that I have felt less pain,which is really incredible. And they're just so comfortable. I'm not worried about the back of my heel popping out or my ankles not having enough support. Also, they're just so stylish andevery timeI wear them out in the street, I always get compliments, which never happens to me.
A shoe that may feel comfortable for a half hour walk is not a shoe that always feels comfortablefor a three and a half hour walk. So what I like about IAMBIC is, even though the snug fit isthere and it feels comfortable, it also feels substantial enough that I can walk a lot withoutgetting any discomfort. That's just something that's especially important to me and I think theshoe has really delivered that.