NeoTrek Founder, Joe Sherbanee, Recently Featured in USC Online

More than 20 years after his first USC degree, Joseph Sherbanee returned on a whim to complete an online graduate program. His studies and personal experiences inspired him to create a startup helping people with foot differences access comfortable, eco-friendly footwear.

Once a Trojan, always a Trojan.

That’s the case for Joseph Sherbanee, who initially started his career in the music industry back in the ’90s with a bachelor’s degree from USC Thornton School of Music. But, after many years of working in entertainment, a second degree from USC propelled him to launch a new business with a mission close to his heart: helping people with foot anatomy differences.

Sherbanee’s pivot began with a return to the USC community when he joined the Master of Science in Integrated Design, Business and Technology (MSIDBT) online program through the USC Iovine and Young Academy.

After graduating from USC in the late 1990s, Sherbanee owned a jazz record label and helped artists sell and market their music. When the demands of raising a family prompted him to pivot careers, he started working with companies to build out recording studios, theaters and other spaces that needed lighting, audiovisual and control systems. This led him to his work as director of integrated systems at scenic design and fabrication company AKJOHNSTON.

Sherbanee is passionate about his job, where he’s involved with everything from movie premieres to marketing, but he’s also committed to continual learning and upskilling. So, when his daughter began applying to colleges, the idea of returning to school started to appeal to him — especially when he learned about the MSIDBT program at USC.

“We were looking at schools for her, and I started really digging back into what USC was doing,” Sherbanee recalled. “I thought, ‘You know what, this actually looks like a fun program.’ And, on a whim, I applied[.]”

Although Sherbanee never intended to go to grad school, he’s glad he followed the impulse to apply for the MSIDBT program, he said. The program aims to help students innovate across diverse fields, teaching them to think critically and use interdisciplinary methods for creative problem-solving. Classes blend art, design, technology and business perspectives to create a truly unique education.

The program appealed to Sherbanee on multiple fronts: The online classes meant flexibility for working professionals like him, an opportunity to brush up on cutting-edge trends and design processes, and a return to the USC community.

“The USC network is vast and … very, very strong,” Sherbanee said. “So I can always rely on people that have made their cell [phones] available — from alumni to other classmates, to faculty and staff.”

Luckily for Sherbanee, the MSIDBT program at USC delivered even more than he expected. Not only did he gain invaluable insight into both the design and business worlds through his classes and conversations with professors, but he also built “priceless” connections with people who have changed his approach to business entirely.

“There were definitely perspectives I hadn’t considered and people that I never expected I’d meet, and now I would consider them lifelong friends,” Sherbanee said. “Being able to learn from people who … are engineers at Apple or Boeing, people who have marketing experience at Hewlett Packard or ESPN, is so invaluable …. You can’t put a price on any of that.”

Sherbanee’s connections even helped him with his startup — the most unexpected and exciting byproduct of his master’s degree. Through his classes, Sherbanee was inspired to launch NeoTrek Footwear, a company combining “3D scanning and AI-powered computational modeling” to create “personalized footwear that promotes mobility, comfort and foot equity” for those with foot disabilities or conditions, including partial foot amputations, according to a press release.

“There was the spark of innovation that got lit as I was preparing for our capstone: How I could take some of my life experiences and be able to make a positive impact,” Sherbanee recalled. “And that’s how I ended up starting the footwear company.”

Sherbanee is a partial foot amputee himself and has firsthand experience with the struggle of finding comfortable shoes. He understood everyone, regardless of foot differences, needs footwear that works for them. Thanks to the MSIDBT program, he discovered that pioneering design and tech methods now exist to make that happen.

At NeoTrek Footwear, customers do a 3-D scan of their feet. The company then uses AI-powered computational models to make custom footwear for each person that is comfortable, easy to wear and crafted from eco-friendly materials. 

“When I first put on a pair of socks that I made and … made [that] first pair of shoes in the Creator Studio, it was a very emotional experience,” Sherbanee recalled.

It’s not only special for Sherbanee to wear the Neotrek products. So far, he noted, the feedback from other users has been glowing, which is a major source of his motivation.

“It’s very satisfying to get emails from people even this early on to say things like, ‘You’ve really helped me, and I would not have been in this position if it wasn’t for you.’ It’s a powerful thing,” Sherbanee recalled.

Currently, NeoTrek sells custom adaptive socks (socks that come in different heights, lengths and colors for amputees). Sandals and running shoes will be added next year. Since they are designed for each individual and their unique needs, no two shoes will be the same.

Sherbanee is excited about NeoTrek’s future and the ways it can make a difference in people’s lives.

“It’s been such a positive experience, and I definitely have USC to thank for that,” he said. “I don’t see myself as having graduated and left the program. I feel like there’s still an extension of me that is there.”

Sherbanee also encourages prospective students to dive into the MSIDBT program.

“Don’t just treat it as an education,” he advised. “Treat it as an opportunity to do a little soul searching and find ways that you can bring your talent and amplify [it] … to be able to help others …. I hope that people take a deep breath and find opportunities within the program that they can use to explore their own personal growth.”

Original Source: USC Online, "Double Trojan Creates Footwear Company Serving Amputees"