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HandsFree Labs closes $3 million round led by the Frazier Group

Vineyard — HandsFree Labs, Inc., the leader in hands free footwear technology, announced it has secured a $3 million round of  financing led by the Frazier Group. 

“HandsFree Labs’ technologies are redefining the way people wear their  shoes,” said Scott Frazier, Managing Partner of the Frazier Group. “The com pany’s licensing partnership with Nike and the early success of its Kizik brand  are evidence of great things to come.” 

The Frazier Group’s portfolio boasts of 80 companies, 45 of which have been  added since 2018. The Utah fund’s $210 million of invested capital has result ed in dozens of IPOs and acquisitions. 

In addition to licensing its technology portfolio to Nike and other best-in-class  footwear companies, HandsFree Labs uses its technologies to power Kizik  footwear, a brand of hands-free shoes that brings convenience and accessi bility to casual and comfortable shoes for men and women. 

“The Frazier Group’s investment record speaks for itself,” said Monte Deere,  CEO of HandsFree Labs. “They already are bringing their mentorship and  resources to our vision of putting hands-free shoes – through our Kizik brand  and through the brands to whom we license – on the feet of billions of people.” 

Skip Lei, who spent over 30 years at Nike before joining HandsFree Labs, will  be executing the footwear business side for Kizik and Handsfree Labs.  

Lei is a true shoe connoisseur. He is deeply experienced to successfully navigate the product creation process from beginning to end. Lei’s expansive background at Nike includes running the global tennis category, creating  Nike’s Quick Strike program, as well as serving as the product liaison to the brands that Nike owned, including Converse, Hurley, Bauer Hockey, Starter,  Cole Haan, and Umbro. 

About HandsFree Labs:  

Hands-free footwear was originally conceived by serial inventor and Ogio International found er, Mike Pratt, when he saw a long-felt but unsolved need to be able to put on and remove  shoes without the use of hands. From that vision, Pratt invented a collection of hands-free  technologies that are the foundation of the company known today as HandsFree Labs.  HandsFree Labs is actively inventing hands-free footwear technologies for a broad range of  applications, including for use in its Kizik brand of footwear and for licensing to Nike and  others. 

About the Frazier Group:  

Frazier Group is Scott Frazier’s family office. After an MBA from Harvard, Scott has served as  CEO of Achieve, ThinkSubscription, and co-founder of TruVision and TruHearing. Scott  co-founded the Utah Angels, Utah’s first angel group and has been one of Utah’s most active  individual investors for over 25 years. Scott co-founded two direct secondary funds, Lumen  Funds I and II and Frazier Fund. Notable investments include Ancestry, Omniture, DOMO,  TruHearing, and Galileo. 

Media Contact: 

Whitney Neumann 

[email protected]