Find out more
On Yurbuds: www.yurbuds.com
U.S. Air Force Marathon Sports and Fitness Expo: Continues noon-8 p.m. today, Sept. 18. at the Ervin J. Nutter Center
FAIRBORN — University of Dayton graduate Richard Daniels attended a product development conference in St. Louis last December thinking he might find a manager for his company, Monsanto spin-off Solutia Inc.
He found a manager, all right. Seth Burgett, founder of Yurtopia, who promptly hired Daniels to be his chief operating officer.
There’s another Dayton connection, as well. UD grad Peggy Stohr is Yurtopia’s chief financial officer. Daniels and Burgett believe they have a product that fits, literally, the thousands of runners expected to line up for the U.S. Air Force Marathon at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday Sept. 19.
Yurtopia’s product: Yurbuds, implements the company says will keep earbuds securely in place, long and comfortably. The start-up launched its first day of selling for revenue Thursday at the Air Force Marathon Sports and Fitness Expo at the Nutter Center.
Users digitally scan their ears using an iPhone. They upload or e-mail the scans to Yurtopia, which sends custom ear-tips from Missouri to customers. The men say their array of six sizes fits 90 percent of the population, but they have six additional sizes, too.
They also say they’re heartened by the response Yurbuds have received: Not just $1 million in private investments, but placement Wednesday evening as No. 9 on Forbes magazine’s 2009 “Top 20 Most Promising Companies.”
“Another high-five on that,” Daniels said to Burgett Thursday at the Nutter Center, slapping palms.
Burgett, a tri-athlete and veteran of two prior start-ups, put $130,000 of his money into the product to establish proof of concept. A warm reception at Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon in May was another step on the road.
It wasn’t just financials and business plans that sold fellow runner Daniels on joining Burgett. It was the 1987 chemical engineering grad’s experience running 20-plus marathons. Earbuds or earphones continually slipping out, offering only uneven volume, “deforming” his ears, leaving him frustrated and weary.
“When I run, I just want to be free,” Daniels said.
The Yurbuds tips fit over Apple and other earphones — select Sony, JVC, Bose and other models — as well as Bluetooth headsets. Everything is made in the United States, Burgett said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author
