Goatlane, a Swedish D2C footwear brand creating golf sneakers combining PGA-level performance with street fashion, has scored €500K in seed funding. With this round, the total investment raised by the company accounts for €800K.
Who invested in Goatlane?
The round saw participation from Swedish angel investors – Henrik Grundén and Juri Gendelman, co-founders of global activewear brand Stronger. Their expertise will be pivotal for the progress of Goatlane as they will serve as strategic advisors to the brand.
Existing investors in Goatlane include family office Muirfield Invest, the lead investor in Nasdaq-listed live-streaming giant Bambuser; PGA Tour golfer Henrik Norlander, who is heavily involved in the development and design of the technical aspects of Goatlane’s products; and globally renowned DJ Otto Knows.
The financing will be used towards boosting Goatlane’s market efforts in the USA (where the company launched ahead of the 2022 PGA season), product development and expansion of its sneaker range, and extending the brand’s offering by entering into new product categories later this year.
Gustav Schauman, CEO and Founder of Goatlane, commented, “It feels fantastic to receive the backing of Henrik and Juri. They are some of Europe’s leading D2C entrepreneurs and have an outstanding track record of building and growing a global brand within the activewear space. I know that their experience and know-how will be invaluable in helping bring Goatlane to the next level.”
Henrik Grundén commented, “Juri and I have followed Gustav and the team’s work to develop Goatlane closely in recent years. We have been impressed by the quality of the products and we agree with Goatlane that the golf market needs a new pioneer in the category. Goatlane has created a unique bridge between comfortable, everyday fashion and traditional golf wear. This novel approach has attracted a new target group, which has proven to be very satisfied with the products and very dedicated to the brand. With our experience, we look forward to developing Goatlane’s online presence to elevate growth and take the next steps in expanding its international presence.”
Addresses gap in market
Goatlane was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 2020 by CEO Gustav Schauman in Stockholm. A lifelong golfer, Schauma combined his passion for the sport with over a decade of experience in investor relations and investment management. He founded Goatlane to address the gap in the market.
Goatlane shoes are handmade in Portugal to the highest quality standards with trademark Scandinavian design sophistication. The shoe bodies are made from waterproof soft calfskin leather from Italy, and the soles, which have been developed via rigorous testing with PGA professional golfers. The soles are partly made from recycled materials. All Goatlane packaging, including its shoe bags and shoe boxes, are made from 100% recyclable materials.
In the time period between Q1 2021 and Q2 2022, the revenue of Goatlane grew by 150%. Developed in partnership with PGA Tour and LPGA Tour professional golfers Henrik Norlander and Alana Uriell, Goatlane’s footwear is unique in blending street fashion aesthetics with all the technical requirements of a professional-standard spikeless golf shoe.
