UO Sports Product Management: Virtual Fireside Chat with Team Arneau

Build the Future of Sport—Together
At the University of Oregon’s immersive, 18-month Sports Product Management Master's program, we don’t just study product creation—we practice it.
A defining element of the SPM experience is the Team Product Project. Beginning at Orientation, students are intentionally placed into diverse, multifunctional teams that reflect the global sports and outdoor product industry. Each team brings together varied undergraduate degrees, functional strengths, countries of origin, communication styles, and lived experiences.

This intentional diversity fuels stronger collaboration, sharper problem-solving, and more meaningful innovation.
During this exclusive virtual Fireside Chat, you’ll hear directly from Team Arneau as they share how their team brought a complex product challenge to life.

---

From Insight to Innovation: Reinventing the Ballet Pointe Shoe
Team Arneau took on a bold challenge: reimagining the traditional ballet pointe shoe—a product known for breaking down within weeks, contributing to athlete pain, injury risk, material waste, and high global costs.
Meet the team behind the innovation:

• Kara Cranston: Team Lead / Materials

• Nico Borromeo: Developer

• Mike Smoluk: Costing and Sourcing

• Cade Marshall-Bowman: Factory Contact / Prototyping

• Pilar Agudelo: Designer

Together, they navigated user research, materials innovation, sourcing strategy, factory communication, and brand positioning—mirroring the cross-functional dynamics of the global sports product industry.

---

Why Attend?
If you’re passionate about product management, development, design, brand marketing, innovation, sustainability, or the business of sport, this event offers a behind-the-scenes look at how next-generation product leaders are developed.
You will gain insight into:

• The power of diverse, multifunctional teamwork
• How collaboration drives stronger product outcomes
• What it takes to move from concept to prototype to positioning
• How the SPM program prepares students for leadership roles in the global sports and outdoor product industry

You’ll also have the opportunity to engage directly with Team Arneau during a live Q&A session.
This is more than a project presentation.
It is a window into how we develop globally minded product leaders ready to shape the future of sport.
Secure your spot today—space is limited.

Join us. Ask questions. Get inspired. And imagine what you could build.