Three years of experience means hundreds of boards made and sold, a dozen riders under the WYVE flag and thousands of hours of research and development. Three years of experience, it's also new goals, a new showroom, and the opportunity for us to look back on what has been done since the end of 2019 as well as what awaits us for the future.
2019 - The year of creation
WYVE is first and foremost a project born from an observation: the construction of surfboards has known almost no evolution since the 1960s. The heart of the product remains a foam block whose mechanics are not controlled, offering little guarantee of resistance and durability to surfers. Léo and Sylvain paid the price after both broke their new boards during the same session. Since then, we have been obsessed with a single question: how can we offer a board that performs well, is durable, and is ecologically sustainable?
During their last year of study, the two engineers from Brittany and the South of France learn about 3D printing. They discovered the potential of industrialization of the performance that it holds thanks to the precision with which it allows to create products. With the first prototype, they leave for California for three months to discover the heart of the surf industry. And when they came back, they were sure that surfers were asking for a solution. This solution takes the form of a company based in France, WYVE, founded in November 2019.
2020 - A V1 and 20 first customers
In 2020, with a prototype twice as heavy as a traditional board, the adventure really begins. First by buying a 3D printing machine in kit form, then by transforming a garage into a composite room. This first year dedicated to prototyping exceeds our objectives with the delivery of our first 20 customers and the constitution of a small community of more than 5000 followers on Instagram.
2021 - Going from 20 to 100 boards
In 2021, things accelerate with a first merchant site capable of shaping anyone's ideal shape based on answers to a fifteen-question questionnaire. Thanks to this algorithm developed in-house, we will achieve our goal of going from 10 to 100 boards sold over the year in less than 3 months. At the same time, the learnings recorded in production lead to a more solid and lighter version of the product, V2. This is the moment to switch to an industrial proof of concept with a production machine capable of cutting and delivering 10 boards per month. Even if the printing failure rate is still high, progress is clear, and we file our first patent on this industrial process.
2022 - Crossing the performance threshold
But this standard does not satisfy us. We want to produce even better plates. In 2022, all our energy is therefore devoted to performance. This desire, which drives us and shapes the company's raison d'être, is echoed by investors, with whom we have managed to raise over 1 million euros. This new financing allows us to invest in a 6-month period especially dedicated to Research and Development. The mission is twofold. To develop a product that rivals the best boards on the market (weight, shape, finish, mechanics). And to develop a production system that relies on a profitable manual work time for a local manufacturing on the other hand. All these efforts pay off and convince very good surfers to join our team of riders. Many surf stores in France and abroad choose to distribute our products and several hundred new customers also decide to order a board.
2023 - Towards the growth of a mini-factory
Today, surfers choose our boards because they compete with the best traditional boards and offer an upward differentiation. Beyond its performance, a WYVE board has a mechanical strength 3x superior to a traditional shapely board, an inimitable aesthetic, and an impact on the environment reduced by 40% compared to a construction made of a foam pad. But the WYVE adventure is just beginning. In 2023, we opened our second and newest workshop. This new showroom adds a physical presence to our digital presence and aims to anchor WYVE territorially as a full-fledged player in the board building landscape. With more than 10 full time employees, the year 2023 will see a tenfold increase in production in order to produce and deliver more boards, faster, and among a range of ever more performing models. To this end, numerous investments are underway in the direction of a new commercial site and new printing machines.
These few words cannot sum up all the enthusiasm and passion that has federated our community for the past 3 years. If you want to order a board or follow the WYVE adventure, don't hesitate to subscribe or write to us on our Instagram @wyvesurf. The best is yet to come!
