Renowned for their exceptional comfort and rare durableness, veldskoens have been an iconic shoe of South African farmers for centuries. That was so until its meteoric success globally in recent years, which saw the famed Khoisan-inspired hunting boots attract attention and investment from as far as the US, Europe, and most recently the UK.
This week, it was announced that Mark Cuban and his partners, South African born entrepreneur Steve Watts and his wife, Angela are among investors backing the shoe’s expansion in the US. A true believer of passion-led brands, the billionaire owner of National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks, Cuban – along with American actor Ashton Kutcher – partnered with the Watts after they were invited to pitch their handheld bodysurfing product on the television show “Shark Tank” in 2016. Their company, Slyde Handboards has since been a runaway success, with a over 13,000 boards having been sold – earning the company approximately $1.4 million – hardly two year after securing the career changing investment.
The brand, which has taken and re-imagined the iconic design for which it is named, has already won favour with princes William and Harry to name but a few. Following expansion in Europe and the UK last year, plans are underway to take the brand to Australia and the rest of Africa.
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