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

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) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED  Bikes & Big Ideas GEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.