Heling knocks it out of the park with Protean Footwear

Lakeland University student Micheala Heling has been playing softball since she was old enough to swing a bat. She inherited the love of the game from her father, Michael. After played competitively though high school, she decided to hang her cleats up when she started college to focus on her studies.

But the game still had a hold on her. She played at family parties and in summer leagues. She even shares assistant coaching duties for a local team with her dad.

So, when Michaela needed inspiration for a class assignment that required her to create a business, she turned to softball for inspiration. Heling decided to tackle a problem well known to softball and baseball players- the need for multiple pairs of cleats.

“Throughout my high school career, I had to carry three different pairs of shoes just because I wasn’t exactly sure what the field was going to be like when we got there. I had to constantly be prepared for that and there was so much to carry with all the other equipment needed,” the business administration student explained.

It is not just difficult to carry all of the necessary equipment, it is also expensive. Heling estimates that athletes spend between $300-600 on cleats each season.

For the assignment, she created a shoe for softball and baseball players that has interchangeable metal, molded and turf soles to allow athletes to change the soles of their shoes to adapt to various field conditions.

Her product caught the attention of her instructor, Stephanie Hoskins, Lakeland’s Herbert Kohler & Frank Jacobson Chair of Business & Entrepreneurship.

“I had to create a fictitious business plan for Intro to Business class and they ended up reaching out asking if I would be interested in pursuing this further because it’s not on the market yet. So, I decided to see what can come out of it. All I was really expecting was some learning opportunities, just because a large number (of startups) fail. I’ve been able to grow my knowledge and to incorporate everything I’m learning and put it into use right away,” Heling explained.

So far, the project has led to nothing but success for the college sophomore. Heling placed second in the Accelerate Sheboygan County’s 2023 Business Challenge and The Pitch 2023 business competitions. The wins came with mentorship, business services and cash to help fund the development of her emerging business, Protean Footwear.

One of Heling’s first moves as a startup founder was to apply for a patent to protect her unique athletic shoe design. While she waits to hear from the U.S. Patent Office, Heling and her team are creating manufacturing prototypes.

“We’re working on getting prototypes made right now,” Heling said. “Then we can bring them over to the manufacturer we have lined up in China who is willing to make them. Then we can get everything in production.”

With Protean Footwear, Heling will not only lighten the gear bags of athletes, but she also plans to save them money.

“We are estimating (the retail cost) at $250. That it is cheaper than buying the three separate pairs of cleats. So, it’s a price advantage,” she said.

Despite still being in development, Heling interchangeable cleats have found some influential fans, including celebrated softball pitcher Rachel Garcia. The UCLA player won a silver medal when she competed with Team USA in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Garcia has reached out to Protean Footwear to offer encouragement, and tips for perfecting the design of the shoe.

Soon, Protean Footwear plans to begin fundraising. The company is looking at several crowdfunding options as it considers how to raise the money needed to produce the shoes.

“We’re estimating about $200,000 is needed. We’ll have to make a minimum order of 1200 pairs of shoes. The money would help get some of those pairs out the door right away and bring in money to make sure everything’s in production,” Heling said.

To follow the progress of this emerging company, connect with Protean Footwear here.