The Steep Stuff Podcast
Welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast, your source for all things Sub-Ultra Mountain Running
The Steep Stuff Podcast
Kyle Siegel | Founder & CEO of Raide Research
This episode features an inspiring conversation with Kyle Siegel, CEO and founder of Raid Research, as he shares his journey transitioning from aerospace engineering to crafting innovative outdoor gear. The focus is on the LF2 Leader Belt, its problem-solving design, and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives Raid Research’s mission to elevate trail running experiences.
• Introduction of Kyle Siegel and Raid Research
• Launch and features of the LF2 Leader Belt
• Background in aerospace engineering and its influence on design
• Discussion on problem-solving approached in product development
• Importance of athlete input in refining products
• Future plans and restocking of the LF2 Leader Belt
• Conclusion and key insights from the episode
Raide Research - https://raideresearch.com/
Raide IG - https://www.instagram.com/raide.research/?hl=en
What is up, guys? Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, james Lauriello, and today I'm pumped. I'm bringing you guys an episode that I've been trying to get done for several months now. I am so excited to finally bring this one to you all. None other than Kyle Siegel, the CEO and founder of Raid Research, is finally on the Steep Stuff Podcast. Guys, what a cool brand, I feel like. Raid is definitely the rookie of the year for 2024 when it comes to the trail running space gear. It has been so exciting to watch their launch and their meteoric rise with the LF2 leader belt that Kyle dropped back in August.
Speaker 1:It's a really exciting episode. We talked about how to bootstrap and found a business like this. We talked about Kyle's background as an aerospace engineer. We talked about sourcing and supply chain and the ideas and where design came from for a lot of both the skiing aspect of the business as well as his future and plans for the trail running business. Like I said, I love talking to entrepreneurs, as I am one myself, and this one really got the gears turning about how to start an outdoor brand and where to take it. And, yeah, this is just a favorite episode of mine. So, guys, hope you enjoyed this one. So excited to finally bring this to you. None other than Kyle Siegel, raid Research Found founder and CEO. It's time We'll see you next time. Ladies and gentlemen, we are live East or you're on the front range the next week. You know I'm busy. It's been crazy to put it together, but I'm so happy we were finally able to six months, six months of trying to make this happen.
Speaker 1:It was like as soon as you put out the belt, I was like I have to have this guy on the podcast, Like this is a groundbreaking technology for trail running, so it's pretty dope. Um, if you don't mind, um, introduce yourself, which you kind of already did, and talk about the company that you have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my name is Kyle Siegel, I'm the CEO and founder of Raid, and we're building premium equipment in peril for ski touring and trail running and just generally human-powered movement in the mountains.
Speaker 1:Dude. So you put out this belt. When did it go live? It was end of the summer or somewhere in the middle of the mountains, dude I. So you put out this belt. When did it go live? It was end of the summer or somewhere in the middle of the summer. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was shipping like mid August, mid August, okay. So you put out this, like I said, and I would say groundbreaking, because I don't think there's a lot of technology, if any technology, out in trail running right now. Um, that's even closely resembling the LF2 leader belt that you just put off in August. It's one of the coolest belts, if not the coolest belt, I've ever played with Fortunate enough for you to have hooked me up and I've played with it for a while. So, dude, let's talk about that first, and then we'll talk about the business, how you started it, and we'll get into that. But first I do want to talk about the belt, because the belt is bananas. There's nothing like that on the market and I love it.
Speaker 2:Diving right in.
Speaker 1:Let's do it.
Speaker 2:Let's do it um, yeah, I mean like I think the belt is like a perfect example of just the product ethos that I have with raid in general, which is like my background is in engineering. I was an aerospace engineer. Uh, I worked at spacex was like my first job in college and out of college and when you're an engineer, you're always like, very problem focused. So everything that that raid does is trying to solve a problem or a set of problems. And, uh, when raid started it was in ski touring, but I always wanted to solve the problem of being able to carry more while I was running in a stable way and I always wanted to use running belts as much as possible so that I wouldn't have anything on my chest making me hot and restricting my breathing. But I just felt like all the belts on the market weren't really enabling that to be possible. So I was just like, can I come up with a belt that supports like enough water for like a proper outing in the mountains and stuff beyond water, like snacks, phone, maybe, a layer without bouncing and being comfortable, and actually be something I was excited to wear?
Speaker 2:So I like I started with a really, really simple and proof of concept, whereas it's basically like is this possible? Can I put more tension? And struck like on the back of a belt to make the cargo bounce less, and it obviously wasn't perfect but it it worked. And then I kind of was like really busy. That was like in december of 2023. Uh, then vietnam and did the proof of concept at my factory and then kind of didn't make any progress for three months because I was really busy just getting the business off the ground. That was our first winter in business. And then went to Vietnam again in the spring, did like eight prototypes, ran with like three different prototypes every night on the treadmill in my hotel and landed at the belt.
Speaker 1:Wow, and then at what point did you bring like athletes into, like the picture to like test? It Was that more like early summer, beginning of summer-ish.
Speaker 2:Yeah, honestly, like most of it, I think there's there's always like this balance in product development I'm finding, which is like, uh, you want to like be really true, like I want to be really true to my vision and like stick with my original vision, and sometimes a lot of other opinions can make it a little bit more cloudy. But you know athletes there are some athletes that are absolutely phenomenal at product development. Yeah, um, so it's a balance of both with with this, it was like such a most of the development was just me, no athlete input. Anton kapichka had some input sort of right at the end and then has had input like since the launch. Um, but yeah, most of it was just kind of like off my vision, myself and Vietnam running on the treadmill.
Speaker 1:Dude. That's amazing that you're able to put together something so solid just like that. Like that's. I can't wait to see. I always imagine you're working on future iterations of it as we go, so I can't wait to see like what you even turn this thing into, cause it's it's already great, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, I mean, I'm pretty psyched on it. I think like it's yeah, it's not going to change a whole lot. Um, we're restocking, uh, the I'd call it v 1.1 next week, okay, uh, which just has some very minor tweaks that most people probably wouldn't even notice.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah, nice, we'll drop this on.
Speaker 1:uh, when, drop it. Yeah, we'll get this out to the world. Yeah Well, dude, let's take it back a little bit, because we'll dive in the belt and more into the belt, uh, a little bit later. I just like I couldn't help myself but talk about that. But I want to learn more about, like your background, like aerospace engineering, uh, spacex, and like that. Like how, like, did you know you wanted to do that from a young age, or like when you got to college? Like obviously you're pretty math brain human.
Speaker 2:then, um, let's talk about that yeah, yeah, uh, I was always just like a math guy. I was on the math team in high school and the lacrosse team so nice, like, uh, where'd you grow up? Polar opposites. I grew up in Evanston, illinois, which is like a first suburb north of Chicago where Northwestern is. Yeah, yeah, like always was a math guy. Knew, I wanted to go into engineering.
Speaker 2:Wasn't really your typical person, like obsessed with engineering. I was just kind of naturally thought that way. It was good at math. And then, uh, yeah, happened to just like get into rockets a little bit in some classes, worked at spacex, uh, through college. After college. After that I was just like, quickly, I was like, oh, I don't want my life to be aerospace engineering. And I bounced back and forth between being a ski bum and being in tech for a little while, nice, yeah. And then, um, why? Then? I was like you know, can I combine the two? Like can I be an engineer and think about skiing all day? And I convinced someone at the North face, let me get a job there. And that was uh kind of my of my big intro into product development and getting into the product side of sport.
Speaker 1:Is that how you met Michelino and any of the trail runners there?
Speaker 2:No, actually my ex-girlfriend went to high school with Michelino.
