# Founder Feature: Matt Jacobs and Kristen Doyle of Pedestrian Project

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2024-07-12
- Length: 33m
- Episode: 57
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-07-12-founder-feature-matt-jacobs-and-kristen-doyle-of-pedestrian-project
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/dc1ea132

## Summary

Matt Jacobs and Kristen Hogan Doyle, co-founders of Pedestrian Project, discuss modernizing the foot care category with clean, efficacious products like Walker's Cream and Cracked Heel Repair. They detail their 12-16 month product development process, involving podiatrist partnerships and rigorous testing, to create salt soaks, balms, and upcoming insoles. The founders explain their bootstrapped, direct-to-consumer strategy, leveraging content creation, sampling, and affiliate marketing to educate consumers and drive repeat purchases while navigating supply chain challenges and a shrinking fundraising market.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Pedestrian Project and the Origin Story
2. Product Development: Formulation, Testing, and Podiatrist Partnerships
3. Product Lineup: Walker's Cream, Salt Soak, and Relief Balm
4. Consumer Education and Content Strategy
5. Marketing, Sampling, and Affiliate Marketing Tactics
6. Retail Strategy: DTC to Central Market and Future Plans
7. Supply Chain Challenges and Bootstrapping Strategy
8. Co-Founder Dynamics and Division of Labor
9. Proudest Moments and Community Mission

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Pedestrian Project (company)
- Walker's Cream (product)
- Cracked Heel Repair (product)
- Central Market (company)
- TikTok (other)
- Instagram (other)
- Shopify (tool)
- Chair Sale (tool)
- Skimlinks (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Advice Line with Kenneth Cole](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-07-16-advice-line-with-kenneth-cole) (How I Built This)
- [Xero Shoes: Steven Sashen and Lena Phoenix](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-03-13-xero-shoes-steven-sashen-and-lena-phoenix) (How I Built This)
- [Steve Madden: Steve Madden (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-12-23-steve-madden-steve-madden-2018) (How I Built This)
- [Bombas: David Heath and Randy Goldberg](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-09-19-bombas-david-heath-and-randy-goldberg) (How I Built This)
- [018: Re-inventing the walker with Jennifer Harris of Motivo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-13-018-re-inventing-the-walker-with-jennifer-harris-of-motivo) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-07-12-founder-feature-matt-jacobs-and-kristen-doyle-of-pedestrian-project. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Startup CPG Podcast.