You want the real product, not a plank on wheels — and you can't spend thousands. Those two facts together rule out building it yourself. There is exactly one route left that still ends with real SPEEDERS existing: a company that already makes electric footwear builds it, and pays you.
| Route | Costs you | Get a real product? |
|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself (DIY) | ~$100 | ❌ a moving board, not a shoe |
| Pay a firm for one custom pair | $2,600–6,400+ | ✅ but you can't afford it |
| Fund your own production run | $27k–93k dev + inventory | ✅ but far out of reach |
| License it to a maker | $0 | ✅ and they pay you |
You give a company the right to make and sell SPEEDERS. They pay all the costs — engineering, tooling, certification, production. In return you get a royalty: typically 3–7% of wholesale on each pair sold, sometimes with a small upfront advance. If they sell 10,000 pairs at $150 wholesale, a 5% royalty is ~$75,000 — for a product you never had to fund.
Before you email anyone, put a timestamp on your work: email the spec + 3D model to yourself, and keep the dated files. This proves when you had the idea. A real provisional patent costs ~$65–130 (USPTO micro-entity fee) and holds your place for a year — worth it if you can swing it, but the free timestamp is a reasonable start. Never post detailed internal mechanics publicly before you've done this.
Search for companies that already make powered footwear or personal e-mobility: electric-shoe and hover-shoe brands, e-skate companies, and footwear factories on Alibaba that list "electric shoes" (message them directly — they reply). Also look at big athletic brands' innovation/open-innovation submission portals. Aim for 20 targets.
Short, confident, and link-driven. Your links do the heavy lifting — the interactive 3D model is the hook almost nobody else pitching them will have. Don't attach the full spec on first contact; offer it after they reply and, ideally, after an NDA.
You're a minor, so you generally can't sign a binding contract — a parent or guardian must. Do not sign anything without an adult reading it, and for a real licensing deal, a lawyer. Many will do a first consult free. Never pay an "invention promotion company" that asks you for money upfront — that's the classic scam aimed at young inventors.
Subject: Licensing opportunity - retractable-wheel electric sneaker (full spec + 3D model)
Hi [Name],
I'm Neil, a student inventor. I've developed SPEEDERS - a sneaker with four
electric wheels hidden in the sole. You press a small recessed button, the
wheels deploy, and you lean forward to glide. Retract them and it walks like
a normal shoe.
It's already documented to a level you can evaluate quickly:
- Interactive 3D model: https://speeders.pages.dev/model
- Full engineering brief: https://speeders.pages.dev/spec
(1,100+ lines: bill of materials, wiring and connector pinouts, sensor
suite, safety FMEA, battery abuse-test matrix, certification path
including UL 2272, tooling plan and honest cost modelling)
The brief is deliberately honest about what's proven versus what still needs
prototyping - I'd rather you trust the document than be oversold.
I'm looking to LICENSE this rather than manufacture it myself. You'd own the
build; I'd be looking for a royalty on units sold. I'm open to how that's
structured.
Would you be open to a short call? I can send the full spec under NDA.
Thanks for your time,
Neil
[email] | https://speeders.pages.dev
| Term | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 3–7% of wholesale | 5% is a fair opening ask |
| Advance | $0–5,000 | Nice, not essential — the royalty matters more |
| Exclusivity | Time-limited | Don't grant forever-exclusive with no sales minimums |
| Credit | Named as inventor | Free to give, and it matters to you |
| You pay | $0 | If they ask you for money, it isn't licensing |