IAMBIC Offers Poetry in Motion—for Feet!

When co-founders Raza Hassan, a biomedical engineering PhD, and Maeve Wang, a digital health strategist, were considering a name for their startup, Hassan admits he would have chosen something scientific. But Wang saw the parallels between the patterns of walking and those of poetry. 

Raza Hassan & Maeve Wang, IAMBIC

“Iambs are a measure of rhythm in poetry—like iambic pentameter in Shakespeare’s work,” said Hassan. “We measure the rhythm of walking and gait analysis. Hence, IAMBIC.”

It was Hassan and Wang’s own challenges with finding properly fitting footwear that propelled their exploration into custom shoes. 

“Twenty seven percent of US adults cannot find a shoe that fits. A further forty percent of population have poorly fitting shoes, and they just suffer through it,” said Hassan. “And then they may have health issues down the line. Maeve had trouble finding shoes that fit, and so did I. It was our own experiences that showed us the possibility and the opportunity here.” 

Exploring solutions in this realm was a natural extension of Hassan’s background and expertise. Born and raised in Pakistan, he got his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, followed by two years in Turkey studying biomedical engineering. Hassan then moved to the U.S. to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering, specializing in human mechanics at SUNY Stony Brook University, where his research involved collaboration with the school of medicine’s orthopedics department, including development of computational and machine learning models. 

“That was the first time I worked with the Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook, a NYS Center of Excellence funded by the Empire State Development CAT Network —and that was where Maeve and I met,” said Hassan. “She came from a background in retail strategy, digital health, and wearables. We looked at the challenges around fitting the length and width of the foot and realized this is a whole foot issue. You need to look at it from a three-dimensional perspective.”

Drawing upon his experience in biomechanics to examine large sets of foot and footwear data, Hassan realized this was a larger issue across society. Hassan and Wang began working together in March 2020. They applied for an NSF SBIR Phase I grant in December 2020, with a focus on developing a software tool to utilize foot dimensions to help refine shoe size selection and secured the grant six months later. 

“The problems with the footwear industry run so deep,” Hassan said. “Part of it is about quality control. Discrepancies in the original shoe mold lead to poor fit.”

Hassan and Wang began to work on their Phase I SBIR grant in August 2021—that helped them to collect their initial foot scan data, which the team gathered from 500 people in New York and Los Angeles. “Fast forward, we built our AI/machine learning (ML) models trained on our proprietary data and started testing with multiple brands making different kinds of shoes,” said Hassan. “All showed manufacturing inconsistencies and quality control issues that impacted shoe fit. In 2022, we went back to NSF and asked to make our own shoe brand—our own product that would utilize our AI platform. We wanted to create a shoe that offers a personalized fit to your foot shape but also democratize the process by using a smartphone to do so. Our NSF program director had previous experience working with footwear suppliers and saw that this was a widespread problem that needed a foundational solution. He told us to set up our supply chain and resume the Phase I grant towards building our own AI-driven shoe brand.’”

“Traditionally, custom shoes have a bespoke shoe last, the handcrafted wooden model that offers millimeter level accuracy,” added Hassan. “A custom last and shoe can cost up to $10K and take months and months to manufacture. We use AI machine learning models that relies on 3-D images of the foot to make a 3-D model and custom fit to dimensions in seconds.”  

That information is then sent to a factory, where, using high end CNC technology, they produce a physical custom fit last in 15 minutes out of recycled plastic. The custom-fit last is combined with full grain leather and a three-layer rubber sole that offers, grip, stability, and durability. “We took a lot of inspiration from motor sports,” said Hassan. “The shoe tread, by design, looks like a tire tread. If someone comes back a year later for their next pair of IAMBICs, they take images of the shoe sole. Our ML models then use these images to determine their biomechanics of the wear to fine tune the next pair.”

Hassan and Wang eventually decided upon Portugal for manufacturing. “We explored several markets including China and across Europe,” he said. “Some lacked the close feedback and communication we needed, and some weren’t open to using new technology. Portugal has a deep history of shoe manufacturing and was keen to use new technologies in their supply chain and manufacturing. We got set up there by the end of 2022 and resumed our grant. By 2023, we had tested our first shoes and used the learnings to improve our models and finished Phase I. We commercially launched our first shoe, The Executive Series, in April 2023.”

Their efforts picked up some early media coverage including Forbes and Sourcing Journal, which led to a boost in interest. “At that point we were only doing in-person, ‘white glove’ fittings, with a price point of $1100 for our Executive Series,” said Hassan. “We have since launched our ‘Model T’ with a fully virtual, smartphone-based scan and fit assessment, priced at $550.”    

The current user experience enables taking three images along with a comfort assessment survey of activities, foot issues, and footwear history. “Our AI platform has six machine-learning models that cover the whole shoe design and manufacturing process, from measurements to a physical custom fit shoe,” said Hassan. 

IAMBIC completed its Phase I grant in Jan 2023 and released its first shoe in April 2023. With learnings from that experience, the team applied for a Phase II SBIR in July 2023 and secured that award in July 2024.

IAMBIC started to fill orders in 2024, beginning with its MODEL T, a lifestyle sneaker. “Our goal is to get to a $199 shoe by 2027 using the same technology,” he added. “There are now numerous high-end sneakers in the market priced above $200, like Golden Goose and Common Project. High performance running shoes can be priced closer to $300. And those are not even customized. We want to offer top quality materials and incorporate other constructions and materials that are both durable, cushioned, and more flexible, for a sports shoe.”

IAMBIC participated in a regional I-Corps at CUNY ran jointly with the NYC Innovation Hot Spot in January 2024. “Our initial hypothesis had come from our experience at the NSF “Beat the Odds” program,” said Hassan. “We had identified our customer as a ‘weekend warrior’ type, Millennial, urban professional. Participating in the CUNY regional I-Corps in Jan 2024 enhanced our growth plan and gave us much deeper insights about our prospective market.”

Customer discovery confirmed the high value on comfort, but it also refined IAMBIC’s target to include a new demographic--the “wellness connoisseur,” interested in health enhancements but not limited to their weekend routine. 

“These individuals track health and wellness every day—they are into wearable health trackers,” Hassan added. “Our biggest lessons from I-Corps were the affirmation that this problem exists and an expanded view of who might be open to our product.,”

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IAMBIC’s AI technology consists of 12 patent-pending inventions with disclosures in the US and globally. They have secured $1.5 million from federal and Empire State Development funding, including a match for their Phase 2 grant from Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) through the nwly established Innovation Matching Grants program. They are continuing to pursue federal and state grant and resource opportunities.   

Hassan also described the benefits of working with the NYC Innovation Hot Spot, including the $3,000 prototype grant. “CUNY really helped us with prototyping, which is both costly and a time-sensitive activity for a physical product,” stressed Hassan. “That enabled us to build on our existing technology and create new sole types that would offer greater comfort and flexibility—more like an athletic shoe. And the Innovation Hot Spot Meeting in NYC gave us a platform to present and pitch to a larger entrepreneurial and technology-savvy crowd.” 

The NYC Innovation Hot Spot also introduced IAMBIC to a broader network of resources, including collaborative partners, city and state infrastructure, manufacturing assistance, and consultants who advise on NIH and DOD grant applications. Among those, IAMBIC has been working closely with Fuzehub. The Center for Biotechnology sponsored IAMBIC to have a booth at the 2024 NY State Innovation Summit, hosted by Fuzehub. “We are in constant conversations with Fuzehub; they have been immensely helpful in connecting us with suppliers and local manufacturers, so we can hopefully bring manufacturing here when the time is right.”