Isaac Okoro Partners With HOLO Footwear

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro is excelling in an expanded role with the team and making even bigger moves off the court. The first-round pick out of Auburn in 2020 recently partnered with HOLO Footwear in an equity deal to release a signature sneaker called the IO:01 and an accompanying apparel line. Perhaps even more significant, he’s also part owner of the company.

Okoro said he initially heard about HOLO in late October 2023 through his agent. As he started researching the company, he became more intrigued. Okoro flew out to Portland, Oregon, met with the HOLO team to learn about their backgrounds, and realized they all had similar upbringings. When the footwear company brought a deal to the table, the decision to sign was easy.

“I wanted to be a part of a company that wants me,” Okoro said. “[HOLO] told me that from the beginning.” He was also encouraged by the idea of building something from scratch. “You have to start at the bottom to get to the top,” he said. “Me and HOLO, like we both started at the bottom. [They] saw me. The process, and us building this together, is going to be fun.”

HOLO and Okoro’s partnership means he’s essential to the company as an athlete and investor. 

“I think a lot of companies out there today throw out the equity language because it sounds good,” said Daveed Cohen, an agent with Young Money APAA Sports who leads HOLO’s brand strategy in social media, content creation, and community engagement.

The Atlanta-born hooper said having an equity deal has been a learning experience that he appreciated.

“It’s kind of the right thing to do in today’s day and age with athletes,” he said. “But after you’ve put out that storyline that the athlete got equity, what are you actually doing about that?”

As part of HOLO Footwear’s priority in basketball, Okoro participates in everything from shoe design and testing to social media marketing for the yet-to-be-released sneakers. It’s a two-way working relationship between him and the company’s founders, Rommel Vega and Yuri Rodriguez.

“It means constant communication, man,” Vega said. During the interview held on the Zoom platform, he held up his phone to show how often he and Okoro communicate. The text message thread shows almost daily conversations between both men. As for Okoro’s role in the company?

“He’ll be at the board meetings, interacting with other investors. Having equity equals voting rights. Voting rights means we make moves together, or we don’t move at all,” Vega said.

Source: Andscape