Andy Murray Invests in UK Sustainable Running Shoe Brand Hylo

Retired Scottish tennis star Andy Murray has recently invested in UK sustainable running shoe brand Hylo, also serving as its global ambassador and performance advisor.

Hylo is headquartered in London, UK, and was co-founded in 2020 by Michael Doughty, Jacob Green, and John Prescott. Michael Doughty had a 10-year career as a football player. In 2022, the brand secured a £2.5 million Series A funding round from Eka Ventures, Redrice Ventures, and several individual investors.

In 2025, Murray joined Redrice Ventures as a partner, through which he got to know Hylo. During the due diligence process for this investment, after a routine meeting with Hylo executives, Murray personally tried on the shoes and asked his wife Kim and her running friends to test them as well. He then visited a local store to ask staff for feedback on the shoes.

The brand name Hylo is derived from Hylotelephium—a perennial herbaceous plant, symbolizing lasting vitality.

Above: Hylo Impact running shoes, priced at £150

Hylo uses plant-based materials such as corn and castor beans. The corn fiber used in the upper comes from within 15 miles of Hylo's manufacturing facility in Putian, China. Co-founder Michael Doughty said: "It's durable, breathable, and passes all the tests required for footwear." The insole uses corn starch, the outsole is made from renewable natural rubber, and the laces and shoe tags are made from organic cotton, ultimately reducing the carbon footprint by 42% compared to the industry average.

In early April, Hylo released a video ad with British humor announcing the partnership with Murray. In the video, Murray remains deadpan, just as tennis fans know him.

The ad is titled "It's Not About Him" and the description reads: "Someone might mention former rivals. Someone might hint at competition. Someone might question the motives." The video directly references "the connection between a tennis player and running shoes." This inevitably brings to mind Federer's investment in On, which proved highly successful.

Hylo's press release states:

Partnering with Andy Murray is a rare opportunity. He is not only a generational athlete but also someone who does everything on and off the court with conviction and integrity. His resilience and standards set a benchmark for how we want to present ourselves.

He has long supported British brands. This makes the partnership even more meaningful.

While it's easy to link a tennis legend with a running shoe company—this partnership is not about that. It's not about sport or competition. It's about effort, the standards you uphold when no one is watching.

According to The New York Times, Murray has invested in more than 40 companies, with the most significant being his 2019 investment in the then-unknown clothing brand Castore, now valued at approximately $1.3 billion.

| Sources: The New York Times; The Scottish Sun;

| Image credits: Brand website; Brand official social media; Brand ad video screenshots