We are pleased to announce our investment in Primal Soles. Primal Soles is a circular footwear company developing fully recyclable slippers and insoles made from cork. The company partners with hotels and retailers to reduce waste streams while offering a sustainable, high-quality alternative to conventional disposable products.

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In the hospitality industry alone, millions of synthetic slippers are discarded each year after a single use. These products are typically made from plastics and foam that cannot be recycled, creating significant waste and contributing to a larger environmental footprint. At the same time, hotels, retailers, and outdoor brands face increasing pressure to adopt sustainable materials and reduce the carbon impact of their product lines.

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Cork offers a strong and scalable solution to this problem. It is a natural, renewable material harvested without damaging trees, and it has a substantially lower carbon footprint compared to traditional synthetic materials. Still, the challenge remains that most slippers and insoles end up in mixed waste streams, even when made from more sustainable inputs.

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Primal Soles addresses this by creating a fully circular system. Their slippers and insoles are produced in Portugal in collaboration with Amorim, a global leader in cork manufacturing. Once used, the products can be returned through Primal Soles’ reverse-logistics network and recycled into new items. This closed-loop model ensures that the materials maintain value, that waste is minimized, and that customers have a practical way to participate in circularity.

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While the traditional disposable products used in hotels and retail lack sustainable end-of-life pathways, Primal Soles enables a system in which products can be continuously recovered and reused. With a carbon footprint roughly one-sixth that of conventional alternatives, their solution significantly reduces environmental impact while meeting the functional requirements of hospitality and retail partners.

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Primal Soles was founded by David Even and Jeremy Even, whose complementary commercial and operational backgrounds have helped secure early traction with boutique hotels, outdoor retailers, and larger partners such as Bever. Their combined experience in scaling operations, building partnerships, and navigating supply chains has been key in bringing a circular product into mainstream channels.

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At Graduate Ventures, we believe in supporting founders who tackle pressing environmental challenges through practical, scalable innovation. We are proud to support Primal Soles in their mission to help hospitality and retail transition toward true circularity with products that are both sustainable and commercially viable.

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