DesignerShoes to feature at Springboard Venture Capital Forum
16 Nov '05
2 min read
Online retailer DesignerShoes.com will be attributing at the 6th annual Springboard Venture Capital Forum, showcasing women led ventures, at Harvard Business School Friday, November 18.
DesignerShoes sells brand name fashion shoes for women who need the extra wide sizes and longer sizes that regular women's shoe stores don't carry. The company, chosen in a competitive process, is one of 21 women-led businesses showcasing their business investment opportunities to more than 200 leading venture capital, corporate, and angel investors and sponsors from New England and along the east coast.
An e-commerce retailer DesignerShoes is serving the $11 billion a year market for oversize women's shoes. Company is responding to a newly emerging market opportunity. In the last 15 years there has been a sudden and dramatic increase in the size of women's feet.
While the women's shoe industry has been growing at a rate of about 1-2% a year, the oversize portion of the market has been growing at over 10% a year in the last 15 years. The supply of shoes through regular retail channels has not been adequate to meet this rapidly growing market need.
There are 12.3 million women in the US who cannot find shoes long enough for them and often end up shopping in the men's department. Typically these women are young, high school or college age women, who make do with men's athletic shoes and flip- flops.
Washington-DC based not-for-profit organization Springboard Enterprises is a non-profit organization educating, promoting and connecting women entrepreneur to the nation's private investment community. SPRINGBOARD'S target market is the growing ranks of women entrepreneurs who lead high-growth potential enterprises.