Inside Vuori: From 2015 to Now Into a $445 million business
Startup Type:
Headquarter: Encinitas, USA
Current Status: Active (private; expanding international and opening more retail stores)
Founders: Joe Kudla
Founded Year: 2015
Investors: SoftBank, Norwest Venture Partners, Insight Partners
Funding Raised: $445 million
What Is the business model of Vuori?
Premium activewear and athleisure apparel brand known for its men’s performance joggers and sustainably-sourced materials, selling direct-to-consumer online and through its own retail stores, as well as select partners
How Vuori got started?
Founded in Southern California in 2015, Kudla bootstrapped Vuori to create functional yet stylish athletic clothing initially for men, drawing inspiration from coastal California lifestyle, later expanded to women’s lines and became profitable before taking any outside investment
what growth strategy has Vuori followed?
Built a loyal following by emphasizing quality, comfort, and a ‘West Coast’ vibe distinct from bigger competitors, largely relied on word-of-mouth, strategic product seeding, and a strong e-commerce presence, leading to rapid growth and a $4B valuation when SoftBank invested in 2021
what are the top products/features of Vuori
Vuori Performance Joggers, women’s daily leggings, sustainable fabric athletic wear, Vuori retail stores
what was the biggest challenge faced by Vuori?
Standing out in a saturated athleisure market and expanding beyond a niche male audience; also managing supply chain and inventory as demand spiked (especially when a women’s influencer highlighted the brand in 2020, causing a massive surge in orders)