From a dorm room to Dragons’ Den
Y1 started in our university dorm room at Exeter in 2012.
Our first product was simple. The Onesie. We had no outside funding, no team, no warehouse. Just belief and a willingness to figure things out.
During our final year at Exeter University, we appeared on BBC Dragons’ Den and were offered investment. We turned it down after the show aired to remain independent and build things our way.
We received a grant from the University Innovation Department, stored stock in a self-storage unit, and fulfilled every single order ourselves. Black Friday meant all-nighters. Lectures in the morning, packing boxes at night.
It was chaotic. It was exhausting. It was the start.
Our Graduate Years
After Dragons’ Den, we doubled down.
In 2015 we launched Y1 Hockey. This was the moment the brand found its true identity.
We signed our first international athletes, including GB players Anna Toman, Brendan Creed and Phil Roper. We secured our first 12 major retailers. We began building global distribution with partners who believed in what we were creating.
In 2018, over 230 of our most loyal community members invested £108,000 through Seedrs. That funding allowed us to grow our team, invest in product development and scale our marketing.
Y1 was no longer just an idea. It was becoming a serious brand in the game.
Became Carbon Neutral
Sustainability has never been a marketing play for us. It is personal.
Our team cares deeply about the impact sport has on the planet. So we decided to measure it properly.
Working with Carbon Jacked, we tracked emissions across our business and supply chain. In 2021, Y1 became the world’s first carbon-neutral hockey brand.
It wasn’t the easy route. It required changes to sourcing, manufacturing and logistics. But it set the standard for how we operate today.
We believe performance and responsibility can coexist.
Scaling Sustainable Teamwear
During this period, we built something bigger than products.
Our ENVO teamwear range, made from recycled plastic, became the foundation of our sustainable teamwear offering. What started with a few clubs quickly grew.
Today, over 70 hockey clubs across the UK wear Y1.
We have become one of the leading hockey teamwear providers in the country. Not through shortcuts, but through service, design and sustainability.
The Olympic Journey
Rio 2016: 0 Y1 athletes.
Tokyo 2021: 9 athletes competing. Alex Hendrickx wins gold and becomes top goalscorer using a limited edition gold Y1 stick.
Paris 2024: 27 Y1 athletes represent countries across the globe. We were in the stadium when Joep de Mol won gold. One of the proudest moments in our journey.
What started with no Olympic presence has become a global platform for elite performance.
And we are just getting started.
