TELLURIDE VENTURE ACCELERATOR: HOGGLE GOGGLE

26 Feb TELLURIDE VENTURE ACCELERATOR: HOGGLE GOGGLE

Lucia Young in very early prototype of the Hoggle.

Nothing like shooting for the moon.

Hoggle Goggle wants to be the Apple of everyone’s eye(wear); especially those wearing googles.

And the Telluride Foundation‘s new initiative to incubate promising start-ups, Telluride Venture Accelerator, is betting Lara Young, founder of  Telluradical Inc., and two other two dynamic homegirls, Candice Good and Michelle Kustes who make up the Hoggle Team, will have a winner right out of the gate.

Lara, Candace, and Michele of “Hoggle Goggle” join Sarah Fazendin of Globa.li (pronounced “Globally”), Mike St. Pierre of Hyperlite Mountain Gear, and Bill Manning of High Desert Farms. As inaugural winners of TVA all four companies received investment capital, access to successful entrepreneurs-in-residence, a laundry list of resources made available through TVA, and direct access to Telluride’s angel investment community.

And seriously, the market hero of two principals of the baby company, Lara and Candace, is Apple. The ladies (tongues firmly planted in cheeks) see certain juicy parallels:

“Apple was way behind in the smartphone market, the mp3 market, the Personal Computer Market. It’s not the first mover in the market but the best mover. The best product wins! Much like our market hero, Apple, our product is a global and a mobile device ( as in moving all over slopes, skies, and trails………).”

And one more example of what happens in Telluride does not stay in Telluride.

At least that’s the big idea.

The hope of the two BFFs is that the product they dreamed up, the Hoggle, an essential and innovative system to protect expensive goggles, will be the first new product of many that will turn their new company into a go-to name for simple, edgy, but necessary products in the outdoor industry.

Lily, Lucia Young & Jadin Scott, three muskateers decked out in way early Hoggles.

Why will the Hoggle work? Because it is an integrated part of your ski goggle and helmet system. It won’t be in the pocket of the ski jacket hanging in your closet. Or in the bottom of your sock drawer. Or locked safely in your car. And it looks hot! Think Apple  – or Porsche (another benchmark). And also the team…

Upon close inspection, the Hoggle team is really a dream. Lara is a business consultant with a proven track record in strategic planning and resource development; Candace (or “Can-do” to her friends), is a physical therapist and product tester for the ski and climbing industry; and Michelle has a 20-year background as an accessory buyer and outdoor industry rep.

Hoggle’s hope for the Telluride Venture Accelerator adventure?

“We want the Accelerator to continue giving Hoggle unfair advantages that aren’t usually afforded young companies.”

To learn more, just click the “play” button and listen to my interview with Lara Young.