Matador

Matador began in 2014 when a group of product designers from GoPro, Google, and Nest started prototyping their own travel gear in a spare room. Frustrated by equipment failures on frequent trips abroad, they built solutions that didn't yet exist—starting with a waterproof packable backpack and a soap bar case—using a secondhand sewing machine and a budget 3D printer during evenings after work.

The company has remained bootstrapped since launch, with no outside funding or crowdfunding campaigns. They continue to develop products in-house from concept through construction, testing prototypes in real travel conditions. Their Boulder headquarters runs on renewable wind energy, and they offset carbon emissions on freight moving from factories to their U.S. distribution network.