Retention Chronicles Founding a brand with patented GoFly technology with Georgia Grace Edwards (Co-Founder/CEO, Gnara) and Charlotte Massey (Co-Founder/COO, Gnara)
Georgia Grace Edwards (Co-Founder/CEO) and Charlotte Massey (Co-Founder/COO) of Gnara join Retention Chronicles Season 5 to discuss founding their brand with their patented GoFly technology.
Georgia Grace and Charlotte patented their GoFly technology to create a new industry for women’s pants. In addition to the familiar zipper fly that allows you to take your pants on and off, a second zipper extends from beneath the first zipper to the back of the waistband.
The founder pair grew up in the great outdoors, and having experienced first hand the issue of not being able to easily use the restroom in nature, they started researching the history of women’s pants while in undergrad.
From there, they completed both incubator and accelerator programs to establish their minimum viable product (MVP) where they could start selling products.
After learning the legal and manufacturing sides of a patent, they began operating as a service where they would install their zipper technology in one’s favorite active pants. But, after seeing the market for this technology, they grew Gnara into what it is today by working with designers and investigating the history of women’s apparel and sizing.
Georgia Grace and Charlotte also speak to deciphering between utility and design patents. They attribute a lot of their learning to in-person trade shows where other founders shared their successes and challenges but acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected those events.
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Episode Timestamps:
Outdoor gear company Gnara’s origins and founders' backgrounds. 1:42
Outdoor adventures, entrepreneurship, and gender equality. 3:10
Entrepreneurship backgrounds and career paths. 6:29
Entrepreneurship, business growth, and accelerator programs. 9:01
Remote work and entrepreneurship. 16:35
Innovative pants with hidden compartments for hygiene products. 18:54
Designing and implementing functional clothing with zippers. 22:54
Clothing design, sizing, and patents. 27:14
IP law and its impact on accessibility. 35:41
Entrepreneurship, e-commerce, and collaborations. 37:33
The impact of the pandemic on the outdoor industry's largest trade show. 41:27
Learning and problem-solving strategies for brand operators. 45:20
Entrepreneurship, business growth, and collaboration. 47:59