In this episode of the Sunny Ray Show, host Sunny Ray talks with Ben Weiss of Syntilay about rethinking footwear from the foot up. Weiss explains why the standardized sizing system, built mostly around length, ignores width, instep, arch height, heel structure, and toe box. Syntilay's answer is shoes that AI helped design and that are custom 3D printed from foot scans. He walks through the process, from a two-photo web scan using printer paper to a modified 3D model and a printed pair, and compares it with the in-person scan at the Tomorrow Store in Times Square. The conversation covers the Terrell Owens partnership behind a pickleball recovery shoe, the idea of recovery by sport, and what skateboarding might bring next. Weiss shares the story of Shaquille O'Neal, who ordered 30 pairs, and describes how Syntilay builds trust in printed shoes. He closes with a five-year vision of a tech shoe brand, comparing it to Tesla in cars. Listeners also get a practical look at taking an innovative product from zero to one.
Ben Weiss explains how Syntilay turns a foot scan into a custom 3D printed pickleball recovery shoe, and why Shaq bought 30 pairs.
What are you building, and what problem are you solving?
We're building a different foundation for footwear. Standardized sizing dates back to the cobbler era and mostly measures length, but feet also differ in width, instep, arch height, heel structure, and toe box. We now offer shoes that AI helped design and that are custom 3D printed from foot scans, so the entire shoe is made to your foot, and we're scaling that globally.
Why print a shoe for one foot when the whole industry runs on a size chart?
Everybody's feet are different, and your left foot differs from your right. With custom fit, I digitally insert your foot into the shoe, change the inside dimensions to match, and print it. The outside structure stays preserved so the pair still looks consistent. We modify the interior so each shoe is made for each individual foot.
How did the Terrell Owens partnership begin, and why a pickleball recovery shoe?
About a year ago we asked why recovery is one-size-fits-all when performance shoes are sport specific. With Terrell Owens we designed a silhouette around side to side movement in pickleball, reducing heel impact, elevating the arch, and improving upper breathability. It became the first pickleball recovery shoe custom 3D printed to your feet, part of what we call recovery by sport.
Can you walk us through going from a foot scan to a finished shoe in plain English?
You order online with a reference size, and then we email a scan link. An AI guides you to take two photos using a standard sheet of printer paper as reference. It's a web link, not an app, and takes about 60 seconds. We then modify the 3D model of the shoe's interior to your dimensions and send you a printed shoe.
What happened when Shaquille O'Neal came in to be scanned?
Shaq is one of the hardest people in the world to fit. He scanned at our Times Square spot and asked if we could make Shaq size. I said I was pretty sure we could, and we did a test print at a size 22. We custom printed to his scan, and he liked them so much he bought 30 pairs.
How do you earn a stranger's trust when they can't try on a shoe that doesn't exist yet?
At the Tomorrow Store in Times Square we have about 10 different shoes on racks that you can touch and try on. People worry printed shoes are hard, but printing has come far and can be soft and comfortable. We use one main material for every shoe, so once you like one, nothing else surprises you.
Five years out, what does buying shoes look like?
I want us to build the first tech shoe brand, similar to what Tesla did as the first tech car brand. Within five years my goal is that tens of millions, hundreds of millions, even a billion plus people are wearing custom 3D printed shoes because they understand it's a better option for their health.
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