At TechNexus Venture Collaborative, we’re experts in corporate innovation. For a decade we’ve accelerated business opportunities between leading corporations and hundreds of startups, creating new products, services, and business models to help drive growth.
We’re also deeply connected to Chicago, which we’ve called home since our founding in 2007. Combining our corporate innovation chops and love for the Windy City, TechNexus is launching a series called Corporate Innovation, Chicago Style. This interview series will offer Q&As with executives at iconic Chicago corporations who discuss their approach to technology, startups and innovation.
Innovation is in Riddell’s DNA. The nearly 100-year-old football helmet maker got its start when founder John Tate Riddell created the first removable cleat. In 1939, he invented and perfected the first plastic helmet shell and interior suspension system, which was used not only on the football field but also on the battlefield, protecting U.S. soldiers during World War II.
Chicago-based Riddell has grown into the market leader for football helmets, with its protective gear worn across the NFL and college football, along with high schools and youth players. More than three quarters of the NFL, nearly 90% of college players, and more than 2 million youth players wear Riddell helmets.
But for Riddell, innovation means more than increasing market share and growing the bottom line. Technological advancements in helmets are critical to the health and safety of football players everywhere, and Riddell has supercharged its innovation roadmap over the last 20 years to answer the call.
We spoke with Erin Griffin, the SVP of marketing & communications at Riddell, about the company’s newest product innovations, its Chicago innovation center, how it collaborates with other technology firms, and the importance of continuous innovation to stay true to its mission of improving player protection.
Q: Let's start by talking about corporate innovation and what innovation really means to Riddell. Innovation is essential for a company to stay competitive and remain a market leader. However, innovation for Riddell has greater ramifications, such as player health and safety.
A: Our core value and mission as a company has always been improving athlete protection. When that's your mission, innovation goes hand-in-hand with that. Throughout the history of our organization, we've always been very focused on what is the next thing we can introduce to the football-playing community to improve player protection.
What’s interesting is that when we release a product, we’re just beginning to see the results of our efforts. But even at that stage, we’re already thinking about the next project we can tackle. This is especially important given the lead times involved in product development. By the time something hits the market, we're often deep into the development of the next innovation.
So, for us, innovation is closely tied to our mission of improving player protection.
Q: Speaking of constantly innovating, what is Riddell's approach to testing new equipment and understanding where R&D needs to be focused?
A: Using helmets as an example, there’s typically a 24 to 36-month lead time when taking a product from concept to being fully field-ready or commercially available. A lot goes into that process—evaluating materials, testing methods, and design.
We perform a lot of this testing at our Innovation Center in Rosemont, IL which does everything from quality testing, material and prototype testing, and compatibility testing—such as temperature or paint tests.
Throughout this process, we gather insights and continuously refine the product. What ultimately reaches the field is the culmination of two to three years of intensive research, testing, and development.
Q: How has Riddell been able to keep this urgency for innovation? Legacy corporations often get criticized for their inability to move at the innovation speed of startups, but Riddell seems to have cracked the code on how to innovate at scale.
Having a long history in the industry comes with its advantages. This extensive experience provides us with significant expertise and a competitive edge in the marketplace.
However, despite being an established company, we understand the importance of continuous innovation to stay true to our mission of improving player protection. This means exploring new materials, partnering with new development teams, and embracing fresh ideas. While we have a solid foundation in our design and development approach, we actively seek out and integrate external ideas and concepts to enhance our capabilities.
Q: What are some of those outside partnerships that you are referring to?
We’ve been working closely with Carbon, a company based in Redwood City, California. Carbon initially started as a startup and has become a significant partner for Riddell. The Axiom3D helmet represents our latest joint effort, where we’ve utilized Carbon’s advanced lattice technology. This technology allows us to 3D print specific components of the helmet liner. Our collaboration has been instrumental in integrating additive manufacturing concepts into our product lines.
Simbex, a longtime partner, has now become a part of Riddell, strengthening our impact monitoring and sensor technology capabilities. So now we have a full team focused on advancing our InSite™ platform and we have a whole set of engineers focused on the sports tech, med tech, and health tech opportunities. Even outside of football, they do tremendous work with other startups and other organizations looking to innovate and bring that energy to Riddell.
Q: So how have these innovation efforts and partnerships translated to new features and products for your helmets and gear?
Football helmets have rapidly innovated in the last few years. What we see for the future is focused in two main areas: increased personalization and enhanced impact monitoring.
We’re advancing personalization with technologies like Precision-Fit. This fully custom version of our SpeedFlex helmet uses a 3D scan of an athlete's head to create a helmet that fits perfectly. This approach ensures that each player gets a helmet tailored to their unique head shape and size.
Looking to the future, we’re also leveraging impact monitoring and data analytics to improve player protection and performance. Our newest model, the Axiom, comes standard with an integrated sensor system. This system tracks all head impacts, providing detailed information about significant impacts and overall exposure. It allows for comprehensive analysis of individual and team data, including impact profiles.
Teams can use this data to match up with game film and coaching insights, helping players refine their techniques and reduce unnecessary head impacts. This combination of personalized fitting and data-driven analysis represents what we envision as the future of helmet design—a "smart helmet" that is tailored not only to an individual’s head shape but also to their playing style and impact profile.
In addition to these advancements, we’ve also introduced the Tru-Fit System helmets, which use a database of thousands of head scans to create a custom configuration for a better fit. This system enhances comfort and energy management and is featured in our SpeedFlex True and the new Axiom helmet platforms.
These innovations reflect our commitment to advancing helmet technology and player safety, setting the stage for the next hundred years of football equipment development.
Q: All these great innovations have been executed here in Chicago. What makes Chicago a great place to grow a business?
Chicago is a fantastic place for our business for several reasons. The city’s deep passion for football aligns perfectly with our mission as a football company. Whether it’s at the youth level or with the Chicago Bears, the enthusiasm for football here is palpable and ingrained in the community.
Additionally, Chicago is a major metropolitan area that attracts talented individuals who want to live and engage with the community. The city offers a rich confluence of research, business, and commerce, and it’s a hub in the center of the country, making it easily accessible. This environment fosters fresh thinking and new talent, which has been a significant asset for us in recent years.
Moreover, Chicago presents numerous investment opportunities and is home to a network of collaborators, innovators, and inventors. These factors create a dynamic environment for growth and partnership.