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Nicolas Mermoud

Co-Founder, HOKA · 1 appearance on the record.

computed by AI from the episodes · how this works → · full disclaimer →

founderathlete

Nicolas Mermoud co-founded running shoe brand HOKA in 2009 with Jean-Luc Diard, designing oversized cushioned footwear to absorb impact during downhill mountain running. A former Salomon employee and elite ultra-trail runner, he helped build HOKA into a global brand prior to and following its acquisition by Deckers Brands.

7statements → 3claims → 1claims resolved → 4/5average certainty → 1.71/5average debate potential →

1 supported 0 partly supported 0 contradicted 2 not checkable as stated how the 3 claims stand · each chip opens the sources

3 assertions · 2 opinions · 1 insight · 1 disclosure · every statement was checked. The predictions and assertions are the 3 claims: statements the public record can support or contradict. 1 is resolved, and 2 name no date, number or outcome precise enough to check. Everything else (opinions, insights, what ifs, disclosures) can never be settled by the record, so it carries no assessment.

The record, in short

What the tape says about how Nicolas argues and how the claims held up. Everything they said, and everything said about them, is in the tabs below.

Their most notable supported claim

Assertion Supported
Mermoud: Hoka prototypes secured their first race victory at Montagnard
“I could race one week later, and win something called Montagnard. Yeah. It was the first ever victory in the Hawkeyes.”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 37:04 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza

How they sound: not measured why? →

We measure speaking style by listening to the audio itself, and a fair number needs at least 2,000 words from one person on tape we have measured. There is too little of Nicolas Mermoud on measured tape to publish a rate. This says nothing about how they speak.

Everything Nicolas Mermoud said on How I Built This that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →

Opinion
Mermoud: French VCs would not have offered operational support like Deckers
“Any French VC or would never, not have brought that to the table.”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 47:54 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza
Disclosure
Mermoud: Hoka co-founders were 'lazy' and not serious runners before founding
“It's a legend that we were serious, enthusiastic runners before hockey. We were lazy because it was so hard and one step at a time compared to anything else we would do.”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 19:36 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza
Insight
Mermoud: Unconventional products need immediate racing validation to avoid gimmick status
“Because when you have something weird, which feels weird and looks weird, if you don't want it to be perceived as a gimmick, you need performance in racing validation, like almost immediately.”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 41:21 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza
Opinion
Mermoud: Cushioning technology drove trail running's boom by protecting downhill runners
“I think it also beyond the running shoes, these new technologies created appetite for the sport of running. So the trail running is booming. It's amazing. It's a very fast growing sport today, but people are not afraid like before to run downhill. They don't c…”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 52:59 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mermoud: Early Hoka prototypes cut downhill times by 10 seconds per minute
“We got like the, some timing. We started timing ourselves, and we were like 10 seconds off of a minute.”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 34:01 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza
Assertion Supported
Mermoud: Hoka prototypes secured their first race victory at Montagnard
“I could race one week later, and win something called Montagnard. Yeah. It was the first ever victory in the Hawkeyes.”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 37:04 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mermoud: By July 2010, nervous competitors began buying up Hoka retail stock
“In, in the summer of 2010 very early summer, like around this month of July after we had delivered like about 3000 pairs of shoes. We knew that we needed to accelerate because there was nervousness because some shoes were getting shipped, especially by a coupl…”
Nicolas Mermoud Feb 2, 2026 ▶ 45:57 HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza

Appearances (1)

EpisodeDateSpeaking time
HOKA: Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. The “Clown Shoe” That Became a $2B Bonanza Feb 2, 2026 12m
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