GroundWaves is an award-winning, London-based haptics hardware company pioneering tactile-audio that allows users to feel the vibration of live music in everyday life. Their bespoke sneakers include a built-in haptic actuator which produces a vibrating sensation. The sneakers can sync with a user’s headphones to reflect the beats of music and create a more immersive experience.

Founders Dr Nick Inoue and Chris Newman-Smart spent several years developing the technology, creating initial shoe prototypes in their friend’s workshop. However, they reached a point where investment was essential to take the business to the next level.

Their breakthrough came when they entered Creative Catalyst, the Innovate UK’s £30 million funding programme for high-potential creative businesses in the UK.

Chris Newman-Smart, Co-Founder and Footwear Designer at Groundwaves said: “We knew we needed some investment to develop the technology further and understand the manufacturing processes. When we found out we’d won the Creative Catalyst grant funding, we were ecstatic. We felt like it validated our vision.”

The impact of Innovate UK

With the support of Creative Catalyst funding, Nick and Chris have been able to conduct essential research and take a major step forward with their technology.

“The funding has enabled us to do three significant things. The first was to understand how users experienced sound and vibration, and to make sure that we’re delivering exactly what the users want,” said Nick. “The second was to develop the actuator to the point where we can actually put it in a shoe – it’s the right size. Finally, we were able to benchmark our technology to other competitors and found that ours is the leading haptic technology in the world.”

In addition to the funding, GroundWaves benefitted from the wider support available through the Creative Catalyst programme.

The team was able to showcase the project’s progress at a number of events, including Climb24 in Leeds, the UK’s festival of business growth, bringing together founders, innovators, investors, and world-class speakers to share insights, spark collaboration, and drive growth. This allowed them to connect with other founders who are working on innovative ideas and explore avenues for future collaboration.

“The creative sector is a fantastic hub of ingenuity and inspiration. The UK is a compact place so there’s a lot of symbiosis between technology companies, which enables us to look for potential partnerships,” Nick explained.

Chris added: “The recognition has been great. We’ve had this vision for six or seven years and we’ve been trying to break through. Once it got validated by Innovate UK, we felt it opened up a lot of doors and opportunities for us to move to that next level.”

The future

The long-term plan for GroundWaves is to grow into a global business. They are raising their next funding round which will enable them to launch their sneakers, but the potential is much bigger.

Nick added: “The commercial potential of GroundWaves is humongous. It’s not just the shoes; the technology itself can be licensed into other verticals, which can grow our business. We certainly expect that GroundWaves can be a global company.”