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Interchangeable shoe company wins competition
October 23rd, 2009, 2:00 am · 31 Comments · posted by Ian Hamilton
John Stefani, CEO of Irvine-based Zipz Systems, holds an example top to his innovative shoes.
Imagine the pressure involved when you have a panel of people representing literally millions of dollars staring at you and you have only 30 seconds to convince them why you’re the best investment opportunity.
Representatives from more than 50 companies made that pitch Thursday night in Irvine at Survivor 5.
Many of the people making their pitches walked away from it grimacing. 30 seconds isn’t much time.
John Stefani said he didn’t know about Survivor 5 until the day of the event. That might have something to do with his Irvine-based company, Zipz Systems, winning 1st place. He certainly didn’t have to face the problem of over-thinking his pitch.
The Survivor event, held by the Tech Coast Venture Network, gives representatives from startup companies the chance to come in and make a pitch to a panel of some of the biggest investing groups in Southern California, including Palomar Ventures and Tech Coast Angels.
Anyone who can make it in the door has the chance to make their 30 second pitch. Be sure to check out Jan Norman’s coverage of Survivor 4 from last year.
After the first round, 10 semi-finalists are selected to give a three minute pitch. From those, a final three are selected for a 10 minute Q&A session.
The prize won by Zipz Systems after all that: $60,000 worth of business-oriented services (I’ve listed all the prizes the company won at the end of this post).
So what is Zipz Systems?
The company makes interchangeable shoes. Each shoe has a zipper on it. Unzip it all the way around and the “cover” or top of the shoe comes off. Then stick on a different cover and you have a new shoe with a new design and new color scheme.
It might have a gimmicky sound to it, but the shoes don’t look it and they cost upwards of $40 to $50 for a pair. Check out some of these:
Stay tuned. I’ll be following up with Zipz Systems in the near future with more about the company and where you’ll be able to find their shoes.
Let us know in the comments what you think of them - Not interested? Impressed? Still seem gimmicky? Need to see more?
Full list of everything Stefani won after the jump.
- $7,500 in legal work from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
- Up to 80 hours of IT consulting / software development services from Prelude Systems, Inc. - a $6,000 value
- Unlimited use for five users for one year of Kyliptix Solutions, Inc.’s web-based software solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses for integrated sales, marketing, service, document management, HR management, reporting and collaboration management - a $5,500 value
- $5,000 of specific talent acquisition services from eNamix Inc.’s Early Stage/Emerging Technology Practice
- $5,000 in patent prosecution services from Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP
- Complete search engine optimization and management package from MarketSnag - a $5000 value
- $5,000 worth of a business review by Momentum Venture Management, LLC, including evaluation for a funding opportunity by its affiliated bridge funds
- A customized complete Risk Management program and discount on any insurance placement for the first year by TechRiskPro & Edgewood Partners Insurance Center - up to a $5,000 value
- $2,500 worth of accounting and tax services from Hall & Company
- A year of LocalSplash.com local search engine marketing and optimization service from Relevant Ads - a $2,000 value
- Free pass to Venture Farm Institute Execution to Funding Workshop - a $2,000 value
- Free Employee Handbook or Employment Forms designed specifically for the Survivor by One free annual membership at Technology Council of Southern California - up to a $1,300 value
- Free review of Business Plan, Executive Summary and Power Point pitch deck from Persuasive Business Plans- a $1,200 value
- Up to $750 towards your enrollment in any one UCI Extension class in the Business Management area.
- One free annual corporate membership at TCVN - a $585 value
- 4 hours of QuickBooks implementation, consultation and training from Mobile CFO, Inc. a $500 value
- $500 in professional copywriting services for web sites, business plans or any other written collateral from Tengo Communications
- One free ergonomic evaluation (home or office) by Elysian Integrated Health Solutions a $450 value
- One free annual VIP pass at TechBizConnection - a $330 value
- One free Associate membership at Los Angeles Venture Association - a $310 value
- One free annual membership at OCTANe - a $300 value
- Participation in OCTANes LaunchPad acceleration program
- A pass to present to Pasadena Angels
- An automatic pass into a Tech Coast Angels Pre-Screen
- TriTech SBDC Consulting
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Sounds great to me. Like the 80s gucci watch with interchangeable bands.
Theses shoes are terrific. My son has several pair and loves to change them with his outfits. These are the coolest.
My child has a pair of these and they are just amazing!! His favorite shoes and they sure hold up well. He can’t wait for more cover options. Good luck Zipz and great idea!
STUPID!!!!!
The last great idea from Anaheim was Disneyland and that was some time ago so enough said about the creativity there. This is a really cool idea and has lots of potential if executed right. Kudos to Zipz!! I want some!
The only problem is that the shoes are so ugly and "dated". Oh, wait, another problem…..they are on your feet, so it will no doubt be dirty, hard to use, jammed & broken zippers in pretty short order……. I’m probably not in their demographic…….
I’m pretty sure they thought about the durability issue before they started making these.
Does that mean a jacket with a zipper wouldn’t get dirty or be hard to use or a pair of women’s boots with a zipper? Not a good expression of your point but you also probably haven’t worn them so I’d reserve judgement until then. I can’t wait to get a pair.
I wondered before why nobody ever tried this. seems like a good idea. if you’re worried about the soles wearing out, you could buy 2 sets of soles for your 3 or 4 uppers.
I’ve seen these shoes up close and personal and they are rad. I can’t wait til they launch in the US to get my own. Great product and a great idea! They are the wave of the footwear future. Congrats John. Looks like hard work does pay off!
I’ve heard about these shoes before and actually saw a picture somewhere of one with a skull and roses on it. it was sick!…looked like a cool shoe. wished i could’ve thought of this idea!
Hey Spence, I agree with hunterr83. Don’t you think that was a big hurdle they had to get over before trying to launch? I’m sure that the R&D was super focused on that.
And when you say “dated”, do you meant like Chuck Taylor dated, or Vans Off the Wall dated? Because it looks like dated is not a bad thing when it comes to sneakers. What kind of kicks are in your demo?
Well, I suppose they “probably” thought about durability. I’ll wait till someone actually writes from experience before still not buying these ugly shoes. I hope it turns out to be a good product….. But many of the comments sound like they are from the marketing department of this company, and not from “real” people.
I just bought some Vans last weekend so that’s definitely true. and I’m 34 and don’t think they looked ‘dated’ at all.
My daughter was fortunate to get an early pair and they are incredible!! She changed the tops all the time which makes her feel like her own fashion guru. If she hadn’t outgrown them they would have held up fine. They lasted better than any shoe we’ve ever purchased for her. She’s excited to buy some new pairs! They are great folks at Zipz and this is a great idea! Go Zipz!!
Spence,
I talked to the CEO briefly about durability and he said they started with a much cheaper product and it didn’t work out. According to him, the shoe they have now is of a higher caliber. Hence the higher price. They’re not going to have repeat customers if the zipper breaks.
I’m going to follow up with them in the near future and ask them to address it more in depth.
Cool. I hope that they turn out to be a great product! I’m always looking forward to successful small business’ making it big. Good Luck to Zipz!
Just checking this out now. Good question Spence, but Ian’s right. It took us 6 years of R&D to get to market so the durability was a top concern. If you think about it a regular shoe only has glue and stitching to hold the bottom to the top where here you have a zipper. What do you think is stronger? I can tell you the zipper is by far in the stress test data. Drop me a note at john@zipzshoes.com and I’ll get you over a pair to demo. I think you’ll really be surprised. Thanks everyone!
Hi Zipz1, I’ve been looking at your website and am more interested in some of the offers beyond the ones posted in photos in this article. I’m glad you have some more “modern” styles.
I guess I’m having trouble with the idea of the purpose of the zipper. Is it primarily to make “retreading” easier or is it to be able to switch uppers to different styles when desired? I need to look over your website more when it’s completed. I’m not sure I understand the whole concept very well, judging from just this article.
Thanks for the comments.
Ian,
Are you really a journalist for the OC Register? My god, put on your thinking cap sir!
Higher price doesn’t necessarily equate higher quality, and vice versa.
If you even do the most rudimentary research (aka googling), you’ll discover that Shoebuy.com briefly carried Zipz, until they discovered that there were too many returns due to poor quality….and they dropped Zipz like a bag of you know what.
Use your new Magic Mouse, and google around. Might help improve the quality of your works.
Unless, you’re being paid to promote this new company. In that case, self-interest supersedes one’s ignorance (like many posters on here).
I just wish they could have found a different name to represent and reflect their product. Zipz remind me of those shoes us kids had back in the 80’s (they were called ZIPS sorta like Keds or Roos just a little bit better)
These are killer, so is the website. Looking thru all the styles & colors
great idea!!
The guy who thought of these must be a genius. What a concept. I already have my order in. Way to go Zipz!
In this economy? A brilliant idea!!
I’ve seen these shoes and the various patterns that have been created. Young children will love the variety that is available — hearts, flowers, polka dots, etc. for girls; classic flames (i.e. 50’s cars), skulls, camouflage, etc., for boys. For adults, what better way to have a color option while traveling - will save lots of luggage space. WAY TO GO ZIPZ!!!!
The concept is commercial and relevant, the product is unique and the quality is second to none. ZipZ is just getting started…stay tuned!
these shoe’s suck
Are you saying this from firsthand experience, or is this based just on sight?
I have seen this shoes in person and they are great looking shoes. I personally have about 8 pairs of vans and converse in diffrent colors therefore i could match them with what i am wearing. But now that i will be getting my new zipz in a few days i wont have to have so many shoes in my shoe rack, but only couple pairs of soles and a few pairs of covers which i will be keeping in my sock drawer. “DATED”?? i am not sure in what world this person is living in, but he obviously dont know whats in style. This guys must wear flip flops at all times. To what i saw these zip shoes are far off better quality than any other shoe. The canvas covers feel alot thicker than what i currently own and if the sole last me more than 5 moths i will be more than happy since thats about how long my vans last for before they start falling apart. I think this idea is great and i believe it is going to sale very well in this economy. The best of lucks to Zip Shoes.
Damn, $80?
I can get three pairs of Vans or Converse with that much cash.
Also, wouldn’t water easily get in through the zippers?
I don’t see any functionality……all gimmick.
Lets be realistic. You can’t buy 3 pairs of vans or converse for $80, atleast not in this decade. If you are aware how much vans and converse cost, they are running from $45 to $50 a pair. So how do 3 pairs costing that much add up to $80?? The price for the Zipz if you go to the website, they are $70 for 2 pair of canvas covers and 1 pair of soles. So you are actually buying 2 pairs of shoes for $70, which if you compare to vans and converse for 2 pairs you will be paying atleast $90. so you sit down and think whats more worth your money.
About you getting water in your shoes?? I actually don’t know for myself if the zipz system shoes will protect from water coming in through the zipper or not. But if you have a little of common sense, what shoe is safe from water coming into the inside of it from above the sole?? (specially vans and converse) In my personal opinion the answer in none. Shoes arent made to be water proof, so please stop coming up with non sense. Once again i have seen these zipz shoes and they are very good quality and even though i havent receive my pair yet, i could guaranty you they will last alot longer than the others.