Portfolio company KAV Helmets has signed a paid pilot with a major construction company with more than 10 thousand employees to develop a new construction helmet. It will utilize the company's microfab production center in hashtag Buffalo, New York . CEO Whitman Kwok also reports he is preparing KAV, the maker of custom designed cycling helmets, to break into the construction helmet market full-time in 2026. Kwok said he has identified a pair of partners for entry into the sector. "We created a brand not just about cycling, but we’ve had a number of folks in the construction industry who have either ridden our bike helmet, or are familiar with the brand, and said `I want that, for not my weekend bike ride, but for my eight hours a day. I’m working on a construction site or a factory,'" Kwok said. The construction helmet business is a 400 million dollar market. The industry has shifted to what are called Type 2 helmets, designed to focus on impact that may be absorbed on the side of the helmet that most often happen during workplace falls. "I think we’re uniquely positioned to use the technology platform that we have and translate that to a whole another market, one that is ten times bigger than cycling, therefore gives us ten times the opportunity to fulfill our mission of saving lives," Kwok said. Hear more on this and the latest on KAV Helmets with Whitman Kwok on the Brown and White Ventures podcast https://youtu.be/BDjNfx3rbDY

KAV Teamworks introduced its club partnership program for cycling teams who push each other — and the sport — forward. In announcing Teamworks, KAV provides access to exclusiv eclub pricing on KAV Helmets for team members. That includes KAV's custom-fit process for each individual rider. KAV will also provide Teamworks members with dedicated support from its U.S. Team. New club partnership opportunities come with the Teamworks service, including features, collaborations and early product access. KAV Teamworks is open to: Cycling clubs and race teams • University and Collegiate programs • Grassroots community groups, Brand ambassadors and regional cycling collectives. KAV is a portfolio company of Brown and White Ventures. Its microfab plant in Buffalo, NY is now the helmet maker's headquarters.

Pallets of printers and testing gear that arrived from KAV's Redwood City, California plant have been reestablished in the revolutionary cycling helmet-maker's Western New York factory this week. Printers; some new, others boxed up and repurposed from KAV's Silicon Valley Operations, are rolling onto the floor and running already. A nook in the company's factory, easily mistaken for a storage space, is being designed to become the factory's new testing zone for models of helmets already being produced and others yet to hit the market. It's part of KAV's migration East, a decision made this summer to amplify production and efficiency. Some KAV staff members are on the way to Buffalo. At least one engineer's arrived to support operations. Others are still measuring the opportunity. Cost-savings come with the decision by KAV CEO Whitman Kwok to head east. Production has already accelerated. KAV Operations Director Alex Grenning says the Buffalo plant hit a new stage of production this month.

A Silicon Valley startup choosing Western New York as its next-gen launch site had a great ring to it two years ago. But KAV Helmets, the Redwood City, California-born innovator of cycling helmets through 3D printing and AI manufacturing, has now doubled down on Buffalo. Founder Whitman Kwok announced at a grand opening event at KAV's Louisiana Street production center Thursday that the maker of custom-fit cycling helmets will call Buffalo its full-time home for all manufacturing; leaving The Valley behind for another Valley; that of the Queen City's Old First Ward. "It's not just the talent that we find here, it's the people who've been supportive, and a community that has helped us take the next step," Kwok said to a gathering of state, local and regional leaders. "This is the definition of true success for a community," said Colleen Heidinger, President of 43North, the state accelerator program that awarded KAV one million dollar as part of its annual startup competition in 2024. "We invested in KAV, wrapped our services and support around Whitman and his team. But then, the community stood up around him." Heidinger specifically mentioned the investment by Brown and White Ventures, the year-old venture capital fund built by alumni and supporters of St. Bonaventure University which operates independently of the university. "When Brown and White invested, that was a sign of this community's commitment to KAV and in 43 North," Heidinger said. KAV became Brown and White Ventures' first portfolio company in Q1 2025. The fund followed a $200,000 initial investment with a follow-on investment of $100.000 in Q2. "Innovation in manufacturing, in the region in which our fund seeks to invest, is one of the reasons we continue to support Whitman and the KAV team," said Jim Aroune, co-founder of Brown and White Ventures. "I was struck by your passion, for pursuing health, safety, and new technology, and in this place, with such an industrial past, that makes such a connection to what makes Buffalo. You are, truly, a perfect fit," Bonnie Lockwood, Regional Director of WNY, said to Kwok and KAV staff. Lockwood spoke at the factory opening event on behalf of New York Governor Kathy Hochul. KAV's Buffalo plant has operated the last two months with a staff of five. It has produced KAV's two helmet models, including its Rhoan helmet, the company's newest model. Kwok said Wednesday the company would hire three, and up to ten employees in its new micro-factory, which has dozens of nearly-silent 3D printers spinning the company's helmets. "We are extremely excited to grow with this community," Kwok said.

KAVHelmets announced it will serve as the official helmet sponsor for Gravel Worlds 2025, one of the most renowned grassroots gravel races in the nation.  This year's Gravel Worlds takes place in Lincoln, Nebraska, August 20–24, Gravel Worlds welcomes riders of all levels—from those conquering 30 miles or exceeding 300. Organizers call it a race built on camaraderie, determination, and a shared love for gravel riding, "with no egos and no barriers, just gravel, grit, and great people." KAV's announcement comes after the successful launch of its newest racing helmet model, Rhoan. It's Rhoan helmet is 3D printed KAV says it's made to channel air and shed heat. The company's AI manufacturing process creates a purely custom-fit helmet, designed to exceed safety standards while providing riders the conditions for speed that matters in competition. Rhoan is one of two models produced by KAV manufactured in the company's new production center in Buffalo, NY.   The helmet company has built a strong connection to Gravel World.  The riding event launched under the banner of The Goodlife Gravel Adventure in 2008. KAV describes it as a riding event with no categories, no officials and no prize money; just pure, unscripted competition and post-ride camaraderie.  Registration for Gravel Worlds 2025 is now open. KAV expects its riding community to be a part of the event, promoting this year's edition of Gravel Worlds with: "Choose your route. Gather your crew," and it's trademark slogan: "Get Out There." KAVHelmets is a portfolio company of Brown and White Ventures.

As its stunning, fluorescent orange Rhoan helmet rolls out to cycling enthusiasts filling holiday wish lists, KAV Helmets is preparing to gear up for its newest market introduction: a construction helmet making work crews safer on the job site. KAV founder Whitman Kwok told Jim Aroune in the latest Brown and White Ventures podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDjNfx3rbDY that the company has lined up pilot programs with significant domestic and international construction companies to apply his startup's unique process and components for custom-manufactured protective head gear to the hard hat sector. "We created a brand not just about cycling, but we’ve had a number folks in the construction industry who have either ridden with our bike helmet or are familiar with the brand and said `I want that, not just for my weekend bike ride, but for my eight hours a day that I’m working on a construction site or a factory," Kwok said. KAV's is reverse-engineering its construction helmet prototype with an eye toward an industry shifting to what’s known as type two helmets which focus on protecting helmet wearers from impact to the side of the head. No error on job sites is reported more commonly to OSHA than falls. The agency reports 40% of all fatalities at work are caused by falls, most from lower levels such as ladders and low roofs. Spinal injuries, TBI's and fractures. "I think we’re uniquely positioned to use the technology platform that we have and translate that to a whole other market, one that is 10 times bigger than cycling, therefore giving us 10 times the opportunity to fulfill our mission of saving lives," Kwok said. Kwok credits that unique positioning to the investment KAV made from day one in its impact lab, where all of its helmets safety integrity is tested, a review that he says is more intense than KAV's competitors. "We also benefit, for a time now, that Virginia Tech does independent testing, and we’ve leveraged our performance in that testing to communicate all the investments that we make in safety. At the construction site, what we are seeing is a 6X improvement. And that translates into the bottom lines of construction companies because of worker comp claims. Kwok computes the benefit to those companies , with the reduction of Injuries to employees to be an 8X ROI. Those results come even as KAV charges a higher price for each of its custom-made helmets compared to the mass-produced models workers have traditionally used. "We are looking forward to equipping people with these helmets," Kwok said. "And as we always do, having the humility to know that feedback will make it an even better helmet that we make available to the general public and to a broader set of companies." KAV's remains in full production mode of its first two cycling helmet models, now rolling off Kwok's microfab production lines of nearly 200 3D printers in Buffalo's First Ward. "This whole idea of the microfab was born from building a better business,, kind of a unique process. Also, it brings Industrial sovereignty, in a sense of being able to manufacture in this country," Kwok said. "But for the consumer side, it’s about building better products that you are excited to ride with and where. And cycling is just the first of many areas we are going to save lives in." KAV is nearly caught up on back orders from 2025 after moving all production operations to Buffalo from the company's Redwood City, California birthplace. Kwok is also preparing KAV to introduce a third cycling helmet model in 2026, one that will mirror the company's distinctive signature "honeycomb" safety model, constructed with KAV's patented material components. "We made the decision very early on that it would be a polarizing design. You would either love it or find it just different. And if you found that it was different and not a good way, there are a hundred other helmets that you could buy that could protect you in less of a way. And would meet your aesthetic.. Our goal here for the rest of the population, that wants something unique, looks great in a different way and has all the safety features that are built in." KAV grew its workforce in Q4 of 2025 as it built production capacity at its new home. Kwok believes his staff is finding a great synergy between the company's mission and the place where it is building safer experiences for others. "I think that’s what attracted us to Buffalo. and why I believe Buffalo found us attractive. It wasn’t just about building. KAV as some start up business. It was about creating a network and ecosystem for manufacturing. I don’t think it’s any surprise to anyone how competitive it is to manufacture overseas. The reason why many companies do that. And so what we wanted to do is leapfrog that rather than play catch-up. Build out a whole new technology stack where frankly the US has to lead. That we have a lead into some of the areas that we’re really great at, which is software development, material science, and then the people here that are craftsmen, not just laborers." KAV Helmets is a portfolio company of Brown and White Ventures See the complete conversation with Whitman Kwok at Brown and White Ventures podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDjNfx3rbDY

Now that it's bid farewell to its Silicon Valley birthplace, KAV Helmets continues consolidating and preparing for growth in its Buffalo operations. KAV, which uses 3D printing technology to create custom aerodynamic helmets designed to reduce brain injuries, is in the process of consolidating its manufacturing operations into the Barcalo building on Louisiana Street. CEO Whitman Kwok touted KAV’s production process as a “one-of-a-kind advanced manufacturing platform in the heart of Buffalo.” The key to KAV's mini-fab manufacturing process, he said, is the ability to produce a large amount of product with a small number of inputs. While KAV plans to stay in the protective gear space, Kwok said products beyond helmets are expected to be released by January. The local facility became operational in May. It has gone so smoothly that Kwok determined continuing to run a duplicate plant in Redwood City, California, no longer made sense. “This facility has done so well that we are actually not only building this factory here, but also consolidating production capabilities,” Kwok said, noting that the company saw double-digit month-over-month revenue growth when the facility came online. The consolidation, Kwok said, was also driven by Buffalo’s talent pool and vibrant cycling community. Equipment started being shipped from California to Buffalo in August, and those employed at the Silicon Valley location have been offered jobs in Buffalo. If those employees opt against moving, Kwok said, they can still work remotely. An uptick in sales since May will also allow KAV to continue investing in facilities and people. He said the company recently hired two employees on the production side and more are likely to come. KAV employs between 10 to 20 people. Kwok declined to provide an exact total, citing “competitive reasons.” “We will continue to hire, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. Obviously, it depends on revenue. We have a bunch of new products that are coming out, which will drive additional growth,” he said.

Shaving your head is what a cyclist who wants a custom-fit helmet would ordinarily have to do to get exactly what they want. KAV Helmets CEO Whitman Kwok muses that, when his company realized that was the cutoff point for consumers to buy into his new line of five-star safety certified custom-built lids, a better system of measurement had to be developed. “Not that many people are that committed to our product to do that,” Kwok joked with co-hosts of News4Buffalo’s morning show September 9th. KAV’s one-selfie, AI-driven custom measurement system allows consumers to send a single image of their head into the company’s app when purchasing a helmet. That snapshot, plugged into an algorithm that also measures facial features to assist in the design of the custom helmet, delivers a near-perfect fit, according to Kwok. Manufacturing breakthroughs like that helped KAV remain the only cycling helmet maker producing helmets in the United States. Leveraged with patented materials with which the helmet is made, and a 3-D printing model that drives an environmentally-friendly, efficient production model, KAV has gone from Silicon Valley startup to Western New York manufacturer. Kwok and company moved full operations from Redwood City, California to Buffalo’s Old First Ward in August. The cost of doing business in the region made more sense for KAV’s next step in its business ascent. Kwok called out the region’s workforce and the Buffalo community’s support of KAV for the decision during his conversation on News4Buffalo. “Because of the people, the dollars and cents work out,” Kwok said. “For us, our fundamental premise is we built a technology, we call it micro-fab; a mini-factory that’ s allowed us leap frog a lot of the reasons people tend to offshore.” KAV continues to leverage relationships it built as a Cohort 9 winner of the 43North startup contest in 2023. It led to investment from Brown and White Ventures in early 2025. Kwok says KAV will benefit from moving full operations from Silicon Valley to Buffalo because of the lighter cost of doing business and the workforce willing to take KAV to the next level. “Buffalo has such a great history of manufacturing. For us to take the best of the old and take new technology, I think it’s a winning combination.” See News4Buffalo’s segment on KAV with Whitman Kwok here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhFn2Uds2cg

For all the pedaling and pounding pace cyclists endure, bike helmet safety and speed can come down to the polymors under the shell, especially the proprietary kind KAV Helmets put to use. KAV founder Whitman Kwok shared that and more about his helmet company on the N-1 Podcast with James Huang. Huang, who promotes his program to be all the bicycle news that's fit to print, toured KAV's California headquarters to learn more about the startup and how it's challenging the manufacturing process of cycling safety. N-1's title for the episode: Turning The Bike Helmet Hegemony On Its Head. KAV Helmets is a portfolio company of Brown and White Ventures.