A new sports footwear company, Unsung, backed by former Reebok executives and Boston Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron, is launching its first product aimed at athletes in hockey and lacrosse. The Dedham-based startup introduces the Snapback Trainer this week—a $188 training shoe designed to support the lateral movements crucial to these sports, rather than the forward motion emphasized by most running or lifting shoes.
Unsung was founded by Dennis Baldwin and Brianna Henley, both veterans of Reebok, along with Jody O’Neill, who previously worked with Baldwin at Breakaway Ventures and also collaborated with Tom Brady’s former fitness enterprise, TB12. The venture benefits from the strategic guidance of Paul Fireman, former CEO of Reebok, who leads the company’s board of advisers. Other notable advisers include retired Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, former Reebok and Hasbro executive John Frascotti, and former TB12 CEO John Burns.
The Snapback Trainer incorporates advanced features to enhance athletic performance. Manufactured by a third-party supplier in Vietnam, each shoe includes a carbon-fiber plate that promotes propulsion, “stability wings” to support multidirectional foot movement, and specialized foam designed to provide cushioning and energy return. These elements collectively address the dynamic and explosive motions athletes execute during training, especially in sports requiring significant lateral agility.
Baldwin described the company’s focus as a response to the evolving training demands of young athletes. “Seeing what these kids are doing in the gym, it’s very dynamic,” he said. “The explosiveness they’re developing is really very different. It requires footwear that can really react and respond to what’s going on.”
The company secured $3 million in seed funding last summer from Breakaway Ventures, helping to establish a six-person team. Baldwin has stepped back from his investment activities to concentrate fully on Unsung and plans to seek additional investors in the near future.
The concept dates back nearly two decades, when co-founder O’Neill, a former goalie at Dartmouth College, first recognized the absence of a dedicated hockey training shoe. “We never had the right shoe to train on,” O’Neill said. Though he initially set the idea aside after his playing days, recent conversations with athletes expressing demand for such a product renewed his interest and helped convince Baldwin and Henley of the market potential.
Currently, Unsung sells the Snapback Trainer directly to consumers through its website, with plans to expand distribution to specialty retailers such as Pure Hockey and Lacrosse Unlimited.
Bergeron, who retired from the Boston Bruins in 2023 after 19 seasons and is scheduled for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November, joined Unsung’s advisory board about a year ago. While his primary role is strategic, he has also tested the product extensively. “It was always hard to find a good training shoe that would provide the stability but also the performance you’re looking for,” Bergeron said. Although not focusing on marketing efforts at this stage, Unsung has not ruled out future involvement from Bergeron in promotional activities as the company grows.