In the areas of functional training, endurance sports and CrossFit, training with additional weights is part of the daily routine for many athletes. But anyone who has ever run with a classic weighted vest or done dynamic exercises knows the problem: the vests wobble, chafe and often disrupt the natural movement process. The Vorarlberg startup “Evrvest” now wants to shake up this market with a fundamentally revised design. In the 8th episode of the startup show “2 Minutes 2 Millions”, the founders Fabian and Maximilian present their high-performance vest to the investor jury.
Modular system in compression fit
The idea arose from the founders’ own frustration with extreme sports. Evrvest’s stated goal was to develop a weighted vest that does not restrict the body’s movement. The Vorarlberg solution looks and feels more reminiscent of a tight-fitting compression shirt than of conventional training equipment. Thanks to a specially developed closure system (twist lock) on the sides, the vest can be infinitely adjusted so that it remains on the body like a second skin, even under high loads.
The startup also relies on a fully modular weight system: Ergonomically shaped V-weights distribute the load evenly across the chest, stomach and upper and lower back. The system allows trainees to precisely scale the additional weight in comfortable 0.5 kilogram increments from a basic weight up to 30 kilograms. In this way, Evrvest precisely serves the sports science principle of “progressive overload”, i.e. the constant and controlled increase in performance.
Premium equipment as a challenge for investors
The fitness equipment market is extremely competitive. Physical products also require capital-intensive production, high costs for specialty materials, and complex inventory management. In order to receive the desired investment, the two founders must prove that their premium weighted vest can be produced at competitive prices and with a healthy margin. The challenge for the startup is now to show how the product can grow into an internationally scalable business model through targeted D2C (direct-to-consumer) marketing strategies and potential B2B partnerships with fitness studios.
