Baltimore County shoe company raises $500K to launch new product

A kids’ shoe company started by a former Mizuno and Adidas executive recently raised $500,000 to bring its shoes to a broader audience. Baltimore County-based Jbrds has sold close to 3,600 pairs of shoes since launching its first product last summer. CEO Mike Gugat said one reason for the company’s success is that Jbrds approaches kids’ shoes differently by building them based on a child’s development.