Golf Shoe Brand Alma Mater Completes New Funding Round from Multiple Professional Athletes

U.S. golf shoe brand Alma Mater Footwear announced that it has completed a new round of funding, with the amount undisclosed. The round attracted participation from several professional athletes, including:

• Golfers Taylor Montgomery and Natasha Oon;
• NFL players Jordan Poyer and Levi Wallace;
• NHL legends Joe Pavelski and Tyler Seguin;
• MLB stars Kevin Millar, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jed Lowrie, and Chris Young…

Founded in 2017, Alma Mater Footwear initially focused on high-end leather sneakers, handcrafted in small batches in Portugal. In the summer of 2025, the brand launched its first golf shoe collection—Beta—after two years of development. The shoes are priced at $288 per pair.

The collection utilizes the brand's exclusive 3PE Technology (Three-Part Engineered System)—a novel approach to golf shoe construction that provides players with greater stability and better cushioning without sacrificing comfort or style.

The system consists of three components:

• Midsole: Nitrogen-infused ETPU foam midsole;
• Traction outsole: Adaptive hexagonal lug outsole co-developed with a gravel bike tire manufacturer, designed to handle the rotational forces of a golf swing;
• Outer sole: TPU peripheral exoskeleton structure that eliminates the rigid shank plate commonly found in traditional golf shoes, providing lateral stability during the swing without compromising the flexibility needed for walking.

Co-founder Eric Sarin explained: "The Beta shoes feel like high-end running shoes, with excellent cushioning and energy return; when you start to rotate, they grip the ground flexibly and generate amazing torque."

The Beta shoes also offer customization services, attracting attention from private clubs, groups, and event members.

Alma Mater co-founder Eric Sarin has over 20 years of experience at major sportswear companies such as Adidas, Puma, K-Swiss, and Le Coq Sportif, and has been deeply involved in the development of iconic footwear for these brands, including being a founding member of the Adidas Originals project.

However, while working at large corporations, Sarin often felt constrained by costs and other factors that hindered product development. So he gathered a group of industry veterans to found Alma Mater.

Above: Eric Sarin

The company's senior leadership team members have all worked at Adidas, Puma, and other companies in leadership roles:

• Co-founder and COO Beatriz Gomez Martinez: With over 20 years of footwear operations experience, from Puma to The Walking Company, overseeing supply chain, logistics, and distribution.
• CEO Nathan Brown: Former Global Product Director at Adidas, Senior Manager in Sports and Lifestyle at Puma, and founder of the high-end custom footwear brand Lodger Footwear.

Above: Beatriz Gomez Martinez

| Source: footwearnews, golftoday, Alma Mater official website, executive LinkedIn accounts

| Image source: Alma Mater official Instagram, executive LinkedIn accounts