Lakeland University student's startup looks to build a better, more versatile cleat for athletes

If you’ve ever worn a pair of sports cleats or helped one of your young athletes into a pair, you might have noticed that something is missing. Michaela Heling of Sheboygan, a student at Lakeland University, also noted the problem.

“My family has been involved in baseball and softball as early as I remember," she said. "Growing up, I played fastpitch softball in local youth leagues. Throughout my freshman and junior year, I was a utility player, mostly playing second base. As a utility player, I knew how important it was to have all shoes ready for any field condition (different positions and turfs require specific shoes). There were quite a lot of shoes I didn’t like. They didn’t hold up and we found the insole was very thin with little padding.”

When Heling took an introduction to business class during her first semester at Lakeland, she decided to address the issues of discomfort and lack of durability and versatility in cleats. When her instructor, Stephanie Hoskins, who is also a business owner, saw Heling’s idea, she encouraged Heling to pursue it.

The result was the startup Protean Footwear, a company dedicated to producing a better cleat. The initial target audience is softball players, but Heling envisions a product line that will include every sport that uses cleats. She is gaining momentum to do just that.

After her first semester where the initial plan was developed, Hoskins invited her to sign up for the further development of Protean Footwear as a class.

“During that semester, I filed a provisional patent, and got some of the business planning stages completed,” Heling said. “I decided to put in work for Protean Footwear this past summer by meeting with some in-kind sponsors from a pitch competition I participated in last April (The Pitch at Fox Cities Stadium).”

At that competition, Heling, who is just 19 years old, took second place. The next break came when Rachel Garcia, an Olympian and professional softball player, discovered information about Heling’s shoe online and got in touch to offer her advice on developing the prototype.

Further encouraged by that interest, Heling continued to pursue the business as a class during the following semester. That resulted in more in-depth planning. She also identified a cleat manufacturer and began to put together a list of anticipated startup expenses.

As with most businesses, the expenses are higher than anticipated. Heling has obtained some startup funds by placing high in business pitch competitions, but those funds are not significant enough to pay for manufacturing and to stock inventory.

“I am trying to decide how to proceed whether through something like Kickstarter or by hosting youth athletic experiences. The molds alone (each size requires a different mold) will cost about $100,000 and it will be about another $100,000 for the initial inventory,” she said.

With the support of Garcia and DropBombs Hitting, a softball and baseball instruction business, she is planning a first event where students can sign up to work with Garcia, a rare opportunity to learn from an Olympian. Depending on the success of the event, she may schedule others.

In the interim, she continues to work on launching the business while going to school full time. Although she had originally planned to become a veterinarian, she is now pursuing a business degree.

“With help from my family, it has been fairly manageable to work on a business while working and attending school," she said. "I am currently working two jobs — one in Lakeland’s financial aid office and one in Lakeland’s human resources department. Both of my jobs have been very supportive of Protean Footwear, and understanding what my goals are.”

Hoskins has also had an incredible impact. Heling said Hoskin’s business connections and experiences have been invaluable. With her mentoring, Heling is learning how to run a business and what it takes for a business to succeed.

“In my class, throughout the customer discovery section, everyone I spoke to thought this was a great idea and was very supportive. Quite a few people even asked why this was never invented before,” Heling said. “By receiving that kind of feedback, I knew that what I want to bring to the market is needed.”

She continued, “With other sports, as well, there have been many people saying cleats are uncomfortable for them, so Protean is working to help make sure the cleats are comfortable for athletes. Along with feedback and help making the design, we created both a wooden and 3-D printed prototype to help show how the interchangeable soles would work.”

The purpose of the interchangeable soles is to make it unnecessary to carry three pairs of cleats; the design is the reason for seeking patent protection. Heling said feedback from Major League Basement equipment managers, professional athletes, and softballs players supports the belief that these cleats will fill a gap in the industry.

Reassured by this input, Heling continues to work on her business plan, an expansion of the information put together for the pitch deck that she used in the business pitch competitions.

“The pitch deck is almost like a simplified business plan to get the idea across to judges or potential investors," she said. "They have to be easy to read and understand.”

The pitch deck included diagrams showing marketing value, general information about the business, startup expenses, and revenue projections. With the growth of her concept, a business plan will build on that. The greatest challenges are coming up with an achievable revenue stream, accurately estimating expenses, and developing a marketing plan that will launch the brand.

While that might be difficult, what she does know with certainty is that interest in the product is growing. She has a wait list on her website, www.proteanfootwear.com, and hopes to be able to fill orders in 2025.

The word "protean" means versatile and that is what she says her cleats, with interchangeable soles that adapt to any surface, will bring to the market.

It has been a whirlwind journey for such a young entrepreneur, but Heling is embracing every part of the journey.

“Rachel Garcia, while talking about softball, said, ‘This game is set up for failure and it’s how you learn and you grow. Enjoy the process.’ That is one of my favorite quotes,” Heling said.

“Entrepreneurship to me is like a game; there are companies who win and they make it all work, but there are also companies that lose and end up folding. There is a lot of risk involved with being an entrepreneur, but I would recommend it to anyone thinking of being an entrepreneur. It is definitely difficult at times, but it makes the successes that much more rewarding.”

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Lakeland student's startup looks to build a more versatile cleat