Run Slick Selected for REI Path Ahead Ventures’ 2026 Embark Cohort

Some news still feels a little surreal to write:

Run Slick has been selected as one of 16 companies for the 2026 REI Path Ahead Ventures Embark cohort, in collaboration with Founded Outdoors.

And “excited” doesn’t quite cover it.

We’re stunned, proud, grateful — and incredibly fired up about what comes next.

What Is Embark?

Embark is a program from REI Path Ahead Ventures, created to support emerging founders and brands building the future of the outdoor industry.

The 2026 cohort brings together 16 companies working across running, hiking, climbing, surfing, snowboarding, outdoor safety, family adventure, and other ways of helping people get outside.

Through the program, we’ll have access to industry experts, business education, mentorship, a community of fellow founders, and capital to help us continue building Run Slick.

But one of the things we’re most excited about is something harder to put a number on: being surrounded by people who understand what it means to build something from the ground up.

Why This Matters to Run Slick

Run Slick started with a very simple problem.

Chafing sucks.

As an endurance athlete and chemical engineer, I had tried the products that were already available and kept coming away thinking the same thing:

There has to be a better way to do this.

So we started building one.

Since launching Run Slick, we’ve spent countless hours at races, group runs, trail events and running stores putting the product directly into athletes’ hands.

We’ve listened.

We’ve tested.

We’ve changed things.

We’ve heard “no.”

We’ve kept showing up.

And, most importantly, we’ve watched runners, hikers, triathletes, ultrarunners and everyday people use Run Slick to move more comfortably.

That grassroots approach has shaped almost everything about this company.

Being selected for Embark feels like an important next step.

Not because we’ve figured everything out.

Far from it.

It matters because we now get the opportunity to learn from people who have helped build the outdoor industry, alongside a cohort of founders who are trying to create something new within it.

From Running Problem to Outdoor Brand

We started Run Slick because of a problem experienced during long miles.

But the bigger idea has always been about movement.

Running.

Hiking.

Walking.

Racing.

Exploring.

Working.

Whatever gets someone moving.

Friction may seem like a tiny problem until it becomes the thing making every step uncomfortable. We believe solving problems like that can remove one more reason for someone to stop.

That’s why our mission is simple:

We help people move more comfortably.

And being part of the Embark program gives us an opportunity to keep pushing that mission much further.

What Comes Next

Over the coming months, we’ll be learning, building, testing, and probably asking a ridiculous number of questions.

We’ll also be sharing some of that journey here.

There is still an enormous amount of work ahead for Run Slick — and that’s exactly what makes this exciting.

To the team at REI Path Ahead Ventures and Founded Outdoors: thank you for believing there is something worth building here.

To the other founders in the 2026 Embark cohort: we can’t wait to meet you, learn from you, and build alongside you.

And to everyone who has tried Run Slick, handed out a sample, put us on a store shelf, given us feedback, introduced us to someone, worn it through a race, or simply told a friend about us:

you helped get us here.

We’re stunned to be part of this group.

Now the fun begins.