Ali and I went to a major golf retailer in LA to buy new sets and both had terrible experiences for different reasons. For me, I was overwhelmed by choice, price, and jargon. The pro was asking me things like “what loft do you want in your driver” and “what flex to you prefer in the shaft,” which I didn’t know the answers to. In the end, the set he put together for me came to about $3,500. He then brings Ali into the back of the store and shows her one set of pink clubs and one set of purple clubs. We both left the store frustrated – me feeling taken advantage of and Ali feeling patronized.
We asked Andrew what the Warby Parker equivalent of golf was and he told us it didn’t exist. In confirming this, we found that the major golf brands cater predominantly to avid, skill biased golfers, who overwhelmingly tend to be affluent, white, men. Meanwhile, the fastest growing groups in the sport were ones that were typically left out of the narrative – women, people of color, juniors, and millennials/gen z.
That’s when the idea for Robin Golf came about. Robin was started with the goal of creating accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in golf. We launched by releasing a line of golf sets, but we see that mission applying to many different categories in golf and beyond.
What Was The Inspiration Behind The Company Name?
We had originally named the company Marler Golf, but since our mission was to democratize golf it felt a bit pretentious to name it after ourselves. Also we had several foreign friends tell us that our last name is difficult to understand/pronounce if English is your second language.
So we renamed the company Robin which signifies a few things. First, the bird symbolizes the coming of spring and a sign of good things to come. Second, Robin fits in nicely with the bird vernacular of golf (e.g. birdie, eagle, albatross, condor).
What Have Been Both Your Favorite And Least-liked Parts Of Your Entrepreneurial Journey? What Have Been Your Most Challenging And Most Exciting Moments For You And The Company?
I’ve had many favorite parts of the journey, but I’ve enjoyed ideating and creating Robin’s culture the most. It’s been fun and rewarding to think about commonly held practices in American work culture and asking “is there a good reason to keep doing it this way?” For example, we implemented a 4-day work week after being inspired by the Icelandic study on its benefits. I get really energized when I get to think about how we can use Robin as a tool to create positive experiences for our employees, customers, and community.
My least favorite part is the admin work that comes along with having a small team. Things like accounting, expenses, taxes, and other paperwork. Hopefully I won’t have to spend so much time doing those things in the not so distant future.
Tell Us About Your Co-Founders And How Their Skills Supplement Yours.
I co-founded the company with my brother and my sister-in-law. Thankfully we’re really close and we all have complementary skills so it’s worked out nicely. That being said, we have invested in an executive coach so that we can more effectively navigate our work lives and personal lives intertwining. There have been times where work disputes spill over into our personal lives and it’s never fun when that happens.
What Was The Fundraising Process Like For You? Tell Us About Your Investors And How You Use The Funds You’ve Raised.
Fundraising has been a trip. Surprisingly, it was way easier for us to raise money when we were just a pitch deck and an idea than it has been after launching and finding success in our first 18 months. I think when you’re pre-launch investors get excited about the possibility of what you will build, whereas after launch the focus is on KPI’s which vary greatly by investor. We’ve raised money from angels and family offices thus far, but we’re in the process of raising our seed round which looks like it may contain our first institutional check.