
BOOK NOW FOR your podcast
Shea Gerhardt
Founder & CEO at Buderflys Technologies
- Tech
- Entrepreneur
- 📍Denver, CO
Learning and being inspired by the ideas of great thinkers is my fuel and inspiration behind creating Buderflys, an earbud that is comfortable enough to binge content all. day. long.
Prior to Buderflys Tech, Inc – I spent nearly two decades in executive roles in the mobile, gaming, and music industries. Having worked with major music labels, including Universal, Sony, EMI, and Warner Bros., as well as some of the world’s largest mobile wireless companies, including VZW, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Vodafone, I’ve built my career on the ability to develop a clear and focused path to cutting through the noise in crowded and stale industries and growing business where user-centric products are king.
On the slopes of Colorado, I came to the literal and figurative painful realization that the constant friction from today’s earbuds design did not deliver the comfortable listening experience I needed in order to devour as much content as I like to. Knowing that discomfort of the traditional earbuds is the top complaint from users in this $30B industry, led me to amass a team of experts and together we have spent the past four years solving for this pain point. A product that solves the earphone industry’s top complaint and one that no one thought was possible. After 1.2M in development and five years of sleepless nights, we can officially say we did it and are delighting our users every day.
read more
LET'S TALK ABOUT
- Ear ergonomics and movement
- Go-to-market and brand strategy
- Entrepreneurship
- Lean startups
- Startup Story
- Female Startup Club
- History of the headphone/earbuds industry
- Business and economics
- Meditation and flow-states
- Regret/curiosity/inspiration/hardships/learning/joy and the Ph.D. that comes with being an entrepreneur (sometimes all of these things collide within minutes of each other!)
--
I founded Denver-based Buderflys in 2016. We are a next-generation earbud brand, and our mission is to redefine fit, comfort level, engagement, and acoustical design for the industry. Buderflys are built for long-term comfort to adapt to how we use earbuds today.
Our innovation, creativity, and grit brought to market a high-end, premium-sounding earbud made with a proprietary, innovative squishy material that flexes with the ear’s movement as we talk, chew, and exercise. Finally, an earbud that can be comfortably worn for an extended period of time, paired with a crisp and clear sound profile.
We own a market advantage with our unparalleled patented comfort technology and our sticky AI software/hardware (MRR) that is positioned to leap ahead in this high-growth market ($152B in 2030) while changing the way we listen, communicate and engage with the world around us. By capturing just a 2% share, it will equate to $1B in value.
Check them out for yourself at www.buderflys.com.
BOOK NOW FOR your podcast
Shea Gerhardt
Founder & CEO at Buderflys Technologies
- 📍Denver, CO
- Tech
- Entrepreneur
Learning and being inspired by the ideas of great thinkers is my fuel and inspiration behind creating Buderflys, an earbud that is comfortable enough to binge content all. day. long.
Prior to Buderflys Tech, Inc – I spent nearly two decades in executive roles in the mobile, gaming, and music industries. Having worked with major music labels, including Universal, Sony, EMI, and Warner Bros., as well as some of the world’s largest mobile wireless companies, including VZW, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Vodafone, I’ve built my career on the ability to develop a clear and focused path to cutting through the noise in crowded and stale industries and growing business where user-centric products are king.
On the slopes of Colorado, I came to the literal and figurative painful realization that the constant friction from today’s earbuds design did not deliver the comfortable listening experience I needed in order to devour as much content as I like to. Knowing that discomfort of the traditional earbuds is the top complaint from users in this $30B industry, led me to amass a team of experts and together we have spent the past four years solving for this pain point. A product that solves the earphone industry’s top complaint and one that no one thought was possible. After 1.2M in development and five years of sleepless nights, we can officially say we did it and are delighting our users every day.
read more
LET'S TALK ABOUT
- Ear ergonomics and movement
- Go-to-market and brand strategy
- Entrepreneurship
- Lean startups
- Startup Story
- Female Startup Club
- History of the headphone/earbuds industry
- Business and economics
- Meditation and flow-states
- Regret/curiosity/inspiration/hardships/learning/joy and the Ph.D. that comes with being an entrepreneur (sometimes all of these things collide within minutes of each other!)
--
I founded Denver-based Buderflys in 2016. We are a next-generation earbud brand, and our mission is to redefine fit, comfort level, engagement, and acoustical design for the industry. Buderflys are built for long-term comfort to adapt to how we use earbuds today.
Our innovation, creativity, and grit brought to market a high-end, premium-sounding earbud made with a proprietary, innovative squishy material that flexes with the ear’s movement as we talk, chew, and exercise. Finally, an earbud that can be comfortably worn for an extended period of time, paired with a crisp and clear sound profile.
We own a market advantage with our unparalleled patented comfort technology and our sticky AI software/hardware (MRR) that is positioned to leap ahead in this high-growth market ($152B in 2030) while changing the way we listen, communicate and engage with the world around us. By capturing just a 2% share, it will equate to $1B in value.
Check them out for yourself at www.buderflys.com.
As seen on
“It’s no secret that listening habits have evolved, so much so, that Shea set out to invent the first earbud that would provide hours of comfort and to this day, Buderflys are the only product on the market to respond to this progression. ‘My original fix was to break the hard-plastic shell off my buds and wrap the internal speakers in swimmer’s wax. This created a mold that flexed with my ear whenever my jaw moved. It was a crude solution, but incredibly comfortable all day long.'”
“The idea for Buderflys began six years ago when founder and CEO Shea Gerhardt fell asleep with earbuds in while on a ski trip. When she woke up, her ears were sore. So, Gerhardt took matters into her own hands. ‘I cracked my headphones open, put them into my kid’s swimmers wax, and wore it all day,’ says Gerhardt. “’t was super comfortable. The sound was so clean.’ After researching this comfortability issue, Gerhardt learned that there was a hole in the $25 billion industry.”
“Having been an executive in the mobile and music industry, I also knew there was a huge market for earbuds that was not being tapped. The market of spoken word, meaning audiobooks, podcasts and zoom calls. These listeners are on their buds 4-6 hours a day. I knew I wanted to create an earbud for this market. Buderflys can be worn continuously, comfortably, and securely – even responding to your own body heat for improved comfort the longer you listen, all while delivering incredible clarity of sound.”
“The pandemic has had many of us in virtual meetings and on cell phones most of the day. And, it might have us listening to music or podcasts in between calls as an escape. So suddenly, a good earpiece is an essential part of life. You’re in good company this week with Buderflys.
People are on the move, multi-tasking, and working remotely more than ever. That’s why earbuds and headphones have become so popular.”
“It’s no secret, podcasts are increasingly becoming an integral part of people’s daily routines.
Whether you’re in the car, taking the dog for a walk or doing work around the house, Americans often have headphones in listening to spoken word.”
Timeline
Mar 2016 - Present
Buderflys Technologies
Founder & CEO
May 2013 - Present
PurdyLabs
Founder & CEO
Oct 2010 - Mar 2012
Beatport
Vice President of Marketing
Apr 2007 - 2010
9Squared, ZED USA
Vice President of Business Operations
2004 - 2006
TBWA\Chiat\Day
Brand and Go-To-Market Strategy
2002 - 2004
Rainbow Rewards
Director of Marketing
Ask me
What makes Buderflys different from any other product on the market? |
What makes you think you can go up against the big brands? |
What is next for the earbuds industry? |
How has Buderflys solved for the #1 complaint in the earbud industry? |
What makes Buderflys unique and innovative? |
Tell me about your AI-focused engagement software and how it will benefit your users. |
What takeaways can you share from getting your product into people's hands? |
Why did you feel the need to bring this product to market? |
How has the earbud evolved over the years since it first came out with the iPod? |
What does the Buderfly effect mean to you? |
What is something that keeps you up at night? |
If you could invite 3 people to dinner who would it be and why? |
What do you do to relax/recharge/get inspired? |