Pauses, Partnerships, and the Power of Perspective

If we’re being honest, this past week was a bit of a rollercoaster. We hit a hard stop with a prototyping lab we were working with. While it caught us off guard, it forced us to take a breath and spend the week researching new potential partners who can keep us moving forward at the right pace.

Reframing the Pause

Speaking with nearly a dozen companies over the last few weeks was a lot to process, but it gave us something we didn't realize we needed: perspective. For a moment, we caught ourselves asking, “What have we actually accomplished this past year?” But as we talked through our vision with prospective partners, it hit us! We’ve learned so much! We’ve built skills we never imagined needing and hammered out ideas that once felt distant.

Back to School on Textiles

We’ve been intentional about growing our knowledge in this space for a while now, and textiles has officially become our "theme of the quarter." We even bought actual textile textbooks. The kind you’d get in design school, and we’ve been studying them like full time students. Having that background was incredible when we recently visited The NW Material Show, where we ran into exciting new ideas and vendors who feel like a natural fit for where we're headed.

Fueling Up at Upstart Collective

We also stepped out of our study sessions to celebrate the 4 year anniversary of the Upstart Collective. Being in that room is always an instant battery recharge. Surrounding ourselves with people who understand the founder journey reminded us how lucky we are to have a supportive community in our corner.

Building for the Long Run

If you’re currently in the middle of building something of your own, we feel you. The ups and downs are real, but every pivot teaches us what we truly want out of our partners and our products.

Our ultimate destination is getting physical prototypes into your hands for real world testing. While we know that moment is still months away, finding the right partners today is what will help us execute on that dream down the road.

We’d love to know: What do you love or completely hate about your current sports bras and athletic wear?

More soon+

Warmly,

Alex & Kasey