Editor’s Note: This announcement references the National Science Foundation SBIR Phase II award, recognizing IAMBIC’s technology in precision-fit footwear and AI-driven design.
IAMBIC has been awarded approximately $1 million in funding from the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to advance its AI-tailored, precision-fit footwear platform.
The grant supports IAMBIC’s mission to scale made-to-measure footwear, combining biomechanics, artificial intelligence, and European craftsmanship to create shoes engineered from each individual’s anatomy.
Advancing AI, fit, and manufacturing
Co-founders Maeve Wang (CEO) and Chaudhry Raza Hassan (CTO) have spent over four years developing IAMBIC’s proprietary Fit Engine, a system that transforms biometric data into digital lasts unique to each wearer. The platform integrates biomechanics, advanced modeling, and adaptive materials to redefine precision comfort and alignment.
“NSF accelerates the translation of emerging technologies into transformative new products and services,” said Erwin Gianchandani, Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. “We are proud to fund deep-technology startups shaping science and engineering into meaningful real-world solutions.”
Erwin Gianchandani, Assistant Director, National Science Foundation
The award marks a major milestone as IAMBIC scales its research and production infrastructure. The funding will expand precision manufacturing in Portugal and further refine AI systems that model fit, pressure distribution, and movement in real-world conditions.
Scaling innovation and collaboration
The NSF Phase II award positions IAMBIC to advance sustainable, data-driven footwear production while exploring collaborations across health, performance, and design sectors. The company’s technology enables personalization at scale, reducing returns, waste, and inefficiencies in mass manufacturing.
“This marks our next phase of growth as we expand production, broaden our product line, and partner with innovators defining the future of footwear,” said Wang.
Maeve Wang, Co-Founder and CEO, IAMBIC
Delivering precision-fit footwear
IAMBIC’s flagship model, the MODEL T, is available to customers today. Each pair begins with a 3D smartphone scan that maps more than twenty biometric variables per foot. The Fit Engine converts this data into a made-to-fit digital last, which European artisans use to craft each pair for alignment, endurance, and fluid motion.
The NSF funding strengthens ongoing research in AI modeling and automated manufacturing, creating a more efficient path from digital scan to handcrafted shoe.
What the grant supports
- AI fit modeling: Translating 3-image smartphone scans into precision digital lasts.
- Sole Print™ feedback: Integrating real wear data to enhance future designs.
- Digital-to-physical craft: Refining the link between modeling, geometry, and European production.
- Platform expansion: Testing across devices and improving data precision globally.
Background and recognition
- Validated at scale: Over 50,000 scans with 98% accuracy between scan and last.
- Protected IP: 12 patent-pending innovations in biomechanics and fit modeling.
- Recognition: Named a TIME Best Invention.
- Ecosystem support: Featured by the Stony Brook Center for Biotechnology.
- Design and craft: Designed in New York City and handcrafted in Portugal.
About IAMBIC
IAMBIC builds precision-fit footwear from a 3D smartphone scan. Each pair maps over twenty biometric variables per foot and evolves through real-world feedback. Every model is crafted in Portugal and backed by the Signature Fit Guarantee with unlimited refits for lasting precision and comfort.
About the NSF SBIR Program
The National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program supports early-stage companies developing technologies with national impact. Phase II awards fund development, validation, and commercialization of innovations that bridge science and real-world application.
Media contact
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Sources and helpful links
IAMBIC is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor, or prevent medical conditions.
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.
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 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.
The first moment that I tried on my IAMBIC shoes, I noticed a difference. I have small feet. So whenever I try on shoes, I usually expect them to not fit. If they do fit, there's usually some sort of discomfort, whether that's in the toe box or too much space or at the heel. So knowing that this shoe was tailored to my foot was really meaningful. It's rare that you find a shoe like IAMBIC that truly is comfortable, but also hits the markers of style versatility.
I think we're all placed on this earth as unique individuals. None of us are really off the rack in terms of sizing. So for me to have that experience of having something made specifically for me that fit perfectly was something that was a little bit mind blowing. And once I got the shoes, I tried them on, they looked great, they felt great. And honestly, they fit like a glove.