Avoli is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a closed seed funding round and its first-ever retail deal.
The volleyball shoe brand raised more than $2.1 million from a range of investors in the athletic, investing and footwear world after initially targeting $1.5 million for its first round. Angel investors in the round included managing director and cofounder at Altos Ventures Ho Nam, former managing director at TSG Consumer Partners and Rosewood Capital Blythe Jack and partner at Greycroft Partners Pete Saperstone.
Avoli also said it has inked its first ever retail deal with Scheels, which will exclusively sell its products in some stores across the U.S. for a limited time.
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In a statement, Avoli cofounder Rick Anguilla said the brand has experienced “unprecedented demand” for its products since it launched last year.
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“Our partnership with Scheels will make Avoli shoes more widely accessible to women and girl athletes around the country,” Anguilla said. “Scheels’ dedication to quality and an excellent customer experience aligns perfectly with our mission at Avoli, and we look forward to working together to grow the sport of volleyball.”
Avoli shoes, which are manufactured in China, have a cushioning system designed for jumping, pivoting and diving and a ventilation system that releases moist air, something that is helpful for women playing at tournaments that can last for hours.
“We are proud to partner with Avoli and look forward to bringing their top-tier volleyball footwear to select stores across the U.S.,” Scheels said in a statement. “We look forward to introducing the Avoli brand to our dedicated customers, and bringing products designed specifically for women and girl athletes to our shelves.”
Anguilla and cofounder Mark Oleson launched Avoli in July 2023 after collectively spending decades innovating in new categories in the footwear market at industry giants like Nike, Lululemon and Under Armour. After observing their owns daughters’ experiences as volleyball athletes, the pair realized the white space opportunity. Avoli — pronounced “Ah Volley” — last year also unveiled its first-ever NIL (name, image, likeness) deals with three college volleyball athletes: University of Texas Longhorns junior Reilly Heinrich, University of Nebraska Cornhuskers freshman Harper Murray and University of Virginia Cavaliers junior Ashley Le.
The brand said on Wednesday that it has signed three additional top women’s volleyball athletes: including University of Louisville’s Anna DeBeer, Baylor University’s Lauren Briseño and University of Dayton’s Alia Williams. These women will be featured in Avoli’s new marketing campaign throughout the 2024 volleyball season, along with other top female volleyball players.