Celebrating Our 1st Birthday!

STAND+ (Formerly Gales®) turns 1! 🎈1️⃣

We can’t believe it’s been a full year since the first drop of STAND+ shoes went to market! The idea for STAND+ (Formerly Gales®) was born way back in March of 2020, and since we officially went to market one year ago this month, a lot of exciting things have happened.

In a snapshot, in our first year in operation, we’ve expanded our core line to include multiple new colorways, are working on exciting new product developments, quadrupled our amazing team, received numerous prestigious accolades and awards, and have been able to connect and work with so many incredible healthcare professionals who inspire us every day.

So much has happened in 12 short months! Let's take a trip down memory lane…

October 2021: Most Fundable Company

In October of 2021, we were thrilled and humbled to receive Platinum recognition on the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School's fourth annual Most Fundable Companies® List. Over 3,300 early-stage US-based companies applied, and STAND+ (Formerly Gales®) was only 1 of 3 total to be chosen to receive this level of accolade.

As a winner on the Most Fundable Companies List, STAND+ (Formerly Gales®) was also featured in the December issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.

December 2021: Forbes Next 1,000

2021 was our inaugural year in business, and we closed it out with a bang by being selected to be a part of Forbes prestigious Next 1,000 list.

Forbes’ Next 1,000 list showcases startups founded by innovative entrepreneurs in every region of the country who are “redefining what it means to run a business today” and to shine a light on entrepreneurs from all industries. We were honored to be included among so many incredible companies and founders who are continuously pushing the boundaries of business and driving their industries into the future.

May 2022 - Intely at Sea Cruise

In honor of Nurses Week 2022, we were very excited to partner with IntelyCare - a company that cares about nurses as much as we do! STAND+ (Formerly Gales®) sponsored the Intely@Sea 5-day cruise in the Bahamas, which was organized to give nursing professionals time off to truly unwind and relax. 

Outside of fun in the sun and some much-deserved relaxation, the IntelyCare @Sea Cruise gave nursing professionals in attendance the opportunity to grow in their careers, offering access to free CEU credits via courses taught by top nursing professionals, including our own board member and the Chief Clinical Officer of IntelyCare, Rebecca Love. 

The cruise was an amazing success and we loved having the opportunity to meet and speak to so many incredible nurses from all over the United States who do so much for others. Each guest on the cruise was gifted a pair of STAND+ shoes; a small token of our continued appreciation for all that they do.

June 2022– Gales® on my Feet Music Video

Providing affordable, comfortable, and protective footwear for healthcare professionals is what we do at STAND+, and any chance we get to show our support and add a little fun into their day, we jump at it. In June of this year, we partnered with MuteSix and Pillowfight!! Productions, who wrote, produced and directed the “Gales® On My Feet'' music video in California.

To celebrate the release of the “Gales® On My Feet” music video, we also launched a giveaway for 3 healthcare professionals to win STAND+ shoes for their entire unit. We loved seeing nurses dancing, singing along, and just taking a little time in their day to be silly and have some fun. We received a ton of admissions and we’re so happy to give 3 lucky winners shoes for their entire unit.

September 2022 - Fast Company’s 2022 Innovation by Design Awards Honorees

We rounded out our first year on a high by being honored in not one, but two categories in the Fast Company's 2022 Innovation by Design Awards. We were chosen as an honoree in both the Pandemic Response and Small Business categories.

The Innovation by Design Awards recognizes companies that are leading the charge in their respective industries and working to solve some of the most pressing problems facing consumers today. The annual competition scours multiple industries and categories to find the very best in their field, and features a range of established companies and emerging startups, and previous companies' honors include Casper and Uber.

And we’re only just getting started! We have so many incredible things in the pipeline that we can’t wait to share with you! We want to thank all of the incredible healthcare workers out there who go above and beyond every day to care for others. We will continue to strive to be a support system and cheerleader for you, and can’t wait to show you what we have in store next.