The Daily - Day 2 - June 19, 2019 - 11

EVOLV TO JOIN OBERALP GROUP

The Italy-based owner of Salewa and Dynafit purchases the core
southern California climbing shoe brand.
THE OBERALP GROUP OF BOLZANO, ITALY, OWNER OF SALEWA, DYNAFIT,

Pomoca, and Wild Country, announced June 18 that it is acquiring the
growing American climbing shoe brand Evolv.
"The addition of Evolv allows us to offer a complete solution for rock
climbers when paired with our Wild Country brand, an international leader in technical climbing hardware," said Ruth Oberrauch of the
Oberalp Group. With this merger, Los Angeles-based Evolv, among the
most popular climbing-shoe brands in the world, is now also connected
to top mountain approach shoe company Salewa, premium backcountry
ski brand Dynafit, and climbing skin maker Pomoca. "Our approach is
focused on one theme: mountain sports," said Christoph Engl, CEO of the
Oberalp Group. "This is why the Evolv brand fits so well."
Though Evolv's new parent company is based in Italy, Evolv's headquarters is staying put. Evolv was started in 2003 by Brian Chung to
cater to southern California climbers before growing into an international brand. Oberalp now plans to invest in Evolv and grow its market share
in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia.
"I am extremely honored and excited for Evolv to become part of the
Oberalp Group and look forward to strong global growth in the future,"
Chung said. -Chris Van Leuven

Business Women
Take the Stage

in the active-outdoors industries.
However, Pitchfest doesn't crown
a sole winner. Instead, eight
finalists were selected from a pool
of 80 applicants, and the event
served as a celebration of their
success so far.
Here's a quick rundown on
the finalists: Rachel Sapp, CEO
of Backcountry Pulse, is on a
two-pronged mission to improve
the emotional health of wilderness medicine professionals and
expand the profession's port of
entry. Rachelle Snyder, cofounder
and co-CEO of Arrive, a gear
rental company that ships backpacking equipment to users,
is intent on reducing financial
barriers. Nailah Blades, founder
of Color Outside, is providing
women of color a safe community
for exploring the outdoors. Joan
Denizot, Zize Bikes founder and
CEO, is leading the movement to
"get big people involved in cycling
and in life" by producing traditional and electric-assisted bicycles
built for people weighing up to
550 pounds. Founder and CEO CJ

Riggins pitched her plus-size technical apparel company, Rsport,
as a response to the absence of
high-quality activewear fitted for
average American women (size
large to 6X). Kind Apparel's
founder and CEO, Mallory Ottariano designs bold, bright patterns
and uses innovative crowdsourcing tactics via social media to
roll out new products and build
brand community. Founder and
CEO Iman Wilkerson is building
an app for her company, Step
by Step Run, which connects
runners traveling in new cities
with vetted local "pace partners"
on an Uber-like platform. Sarah
Lockwood, CEO and founder of
College Outside, has tapped into
the college market with a platform
for outdoor education groups to
efficiently connect with retailers
and purchase wholesale gear.
All finalists left the stage yesterday with an award package that
included business coaching, legal
counsel, and marketing support,
and they also received live feedback
from the panelists.

Camber Outdoors' annual Pitchfest showcases
interdisciplinary strengths.
By Emma Murray

L AU R E N DA N I L E K

AT CAMBER OUTDOORS' FIFTH-ANNUAL PITCHFEST, EIGHT WOMEN

entrepreneurs presented business plans to a panel of leading industry executives. They showcased a range of businesses-from apps and hardgoods to
apparel companies and industry services-each at varying stages of growth.
"This is not a traditional pitchfest," explained emcee Olivia Omega,
Camber's marketing and communications director. The event is the
culmination of Camber Outdoors' 10-week mentorship program, which is
designed to accelerate growth in innovative, women-led businesses with-

Rachelle Snyder, coCEO of Arrive, a 2019
Pitchfest finalist

SUMMER MARKET 2019

The Daily - Day 2 - June 19, 2019

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