Every foot is unique — in size, width and shape. These differences create distinct needs when it comes to footwear. In sports, shoes must do more than just fit; they need to enable peak performance. This is particularly true in climbing. Recognizing this, Livia, Janick, and Beat set out to develop a shoe that meets these demands. With their company, hooq, the trio is now entering the Swiss market, offering the first fully customizable climbing shoe. Having participated in the What’s_next Project Programme in 2023, hooq was able to progress their product in a crucial developmental phase. Z-Kubator spoke with the three founders about their journey, their product, and the vision behind hooq.
Janick, Livia and Beat, why don’t you introduce yourselves?
J: I am Janick, I come from a mechanical engineering background and received my bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design at ZHdK in 2020. Now, I apply my skills in our company, hooq.
L: I am Livia and I studied Materials and Process Engineering and Chemistry at ZHAW. Currently, I am concluding my Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies at ZHdK. Next to that, I am also working a lot for hooq.
B: I am Beat, an engineer in mechatronical systems, a discipline which combines mechanics with electronics and IT systems. I worked for an engineering company in Winterthur for ten years and now am working full-time for hooq since one and a half years.
Can you tell me more about hooq?
L: At hooq, we design and produce climbing shoes that are customized, taking in account the unique shape and properties of our clients’ feet. With our approach of 3D scanning and automated design algorithms, we offer a customized and affordable climbing shoe for everyone. Accessibility is very important to us, so we offer our service online, soon also including an accurate scanning feature for your phone.
B: Specifically, we have a data base of foot shapes based on hundreds of scans. With a foot scan, we measure the foot and determine the best fitting shoe shape from this library. Depending on the athletic preferences of our customer base, we also evaluate the client’s needs and learn more about their climbing goals and style via a survey to additionally customize the shoe’s properties. We then manufacture the shoe with our production partner, where everything is hand-made. It has been fascinating to witness just how much precise craftsmanship goes into our product.
How did you come about this idea of developing a custom climbing shoe?
J: All three of us have been climbing since we were kids or teenagers. Being in the climbing gym or on the walls outdoors multiple times a week gave us an insight into our own as well as fellow climbers’ needs. A main issue we continuously encountered was that there are many people on an endless search for fitting climbing shoes.
L: Climbing shoes are usually worn very tight. If they don’t fit well, they can cause a lot of pain. Uncomfortable climbing shoes are not uncommon and we don’t think that should be the norm.
B: A thing we have also noticed is that the variety of foot shapes is huge and this diversity is not covered with standard climbing shoes. So we decided to aim our product to everyone, not just a few. Every single foot is unique.
Which stage is your business in right now?
J: We are very close to market entry. We founded the company in 2022 and have been developing the product to what it is now. Now, we are ready to enter the market. Before this, we started a crowdfunding in 2023. Through this crowdfunding, we were able to develop many prototypes and set up production for our first 100 pairs of climbing shoes. This first batch of shoes was sent out to our customers just a few weeks ago. That in itself is a huge milestone for us and we are very proud and happy to have the product in our hands after all this time. Through these shoes, we will also be able to learn more for the official rollout, collect valuable feedback from clients and make our shoes even better.
L: We are launching our online platform that includes an online shop very soon. The online shop is planned to be up and running mid-May. There will be a pre-sale where we offer a limited amount of shoes before we actually launch it for continuous orders. On our online platform we will also publish upcoming pop-up events in climbing gyms all over Switzerland, where customers can scan their feet and get a glimpse of what their custom climbing shoes will look and feel like.
What is the climbing communitiy’s reaction to your product?
B: During the crowdfunding, we had many requests for our shoes—during a time when we weren’t quite ready for them yet. So to us, that proved that the need was definitely there. People are very excited for our launch and every time we go to the climbing gym in our free time, we are also known as “those people developing the custom climbing shoes”. Many come up to us and want to know more about the development of our shoes and are very eager to get their own.
J: The crazy thing is also that we haven’t done a lot of marketing or promotional work for hooq in the last year due to limited time and other priorities such as the development of the product and our software. We have a website of course, but everything else has been running on network and word of mouth. Knowing that our community is so involved and genuinely interested is an amazing sign that we are doing the right thing, and we feel very grateful.
L: And regarding motivation, that’s a huge motivator. Every bit of positive feedback feels amazing. Oftentimes, a problem in startups is that the market is already saturated and that no one has waited for this particular product. I feel we really don’t have that issue, in fact, there are quite a few people on our waiting list already, eagerly waiting for our climbing shoes to launch.
Livia and Janick, you two are siblings. And Beat, you are a long time friend. How has it been, working on a business together and having a close relationship at the same time?
J: It’s incredibly easy and rewarding. It’s not the first time that Livia and I work on a project together. We also compose and play music together and know that we have a good working relationship. We understand each other’s ways and complement each other very well. While we do have things in common, we also do things very differently. Livia is more structured and I am more free-spirited and can get immersed in a subject very quickly and deeply.
B: Every one of us has different strengths, interests and disciplinary backgrounds. This way, we can really help each other out. It also helps with morale. When someone feels down or stressed, there are two others to lift that person up. The whole process has been quite challenging, so it’s nice to know that you are a team and don’t have to carry it on your own shoulders.
L: We also share the passion for climbing and do it a lot together. Keeping private life separate from work life becomes more and more challenging, being involved in climbing on the business side of things. The two worlds are very fluid, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s just important to keep a balance.
How has Z-Kubator helped your journey?
J: I was part of the What’s next_Project in 2023 after I had finished my BA in Industrial Design. During this time, we were really able to focus on hooq and the development of the shoe. We also received funding which helped us develop the design and move forward in manufacturing. The Z-Kubator team always checked in with us to see what our needs were and give input. Coachings also taught us softer skills, for example how to balance our work life with our private life.
L: We also received support from several mentors, including a mentor for the crowdfunding, which was very helpful. Also, I enjoyed all the networking events organized by the Z-Kubator, where we could connect with other participants of their programmes and experts from their network. Pro Helvetia was and still is a big supporter along with many other support programmes.
What’s next?
L: Keep an eye out for the online store which will be launching very soon. We are also working on a launch party and an entirely new website for it. In case you want to take part in our pre-sale, you can already join our waiting list.
The interview was conducted by Maxine Erni.