Spotlight on Small Biz: NoSweat fills the bill for hat wearers.

Byline: Todd Nelson

Editor's note: Spotlight on Small Biz is an occasional feature about a company, entrepreneur, or business issue.

Minnetonka-based startup NoSweat, the maker of patented sweat-absorbing hat and helmet liners, is gaining steam with a recent MN Cup division win and newly forged PGA Tour partnership.

NoSweat will go up against eight other division winners competing for the $50,000 grand prize on Monday (Oct. 8) in the final round of the MN Cup entrepreneurial competition.

NoSweat is based on a product idea that emerged as founder and CEO Justin Johnson was attending a business class a decade ago at Gustavus Adolphus College. In August, NoSweat became an official licensed partner of the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour logo now appears on packages of NoSweat's disposable hat and visor liners, said Jared Robins, NoSweat's president. The arrangement builds on the product's popularity with golfers, Robins said. NoSweat is a top seller in golf on Amazon.com and has strong distribution in golf stores and pro shops across the country.

"You don't see startup companies like ourselves aligned with major organizations or leagues like the PGA Tour," Robins said. "It brings a tremendous amount of validity to the brand."

Pro golfers Stewart Cink and Scott Langley helped connect NoSweat with the PGA Tour, Robins said. They're also among pro athletes serving as "brand ambassadors" and in some cases NoSweat investors.

Others include T.J. Oshie of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals, who over the summer brought the Stanley Cup to Warroad, Minnesota, where he starred in high school hockey. Major League Baseball players Dallas Keuchel and Matt Adams and National Football League players Golden Tate and Brandon McManus are among other NoSweat ambassadors.

While the athletes have helped make NoSweat's liners a nationally known product, the company hopes its MN Cup success will raise its profile in the entrepreneurial community, Robins said.

"We wanted to put our name on the map because MN Cup is very highly regarded," Robins said. "The biggest thing for our company in any of these competitions is the brand awareness. We're trying to be a disruptor in our space."

The company has grown "exponentially" in the last 18 months, Robins said. In addition to the $30,000 it received as a MN Cup finalist, NoSweat has raised $1 million to $3 million from investors and is planning another fund-raising round, which may begin this month.

Sales have increased...