R E I Co-op Path Ahead Ventures Navigate
You set the course. We help you map your Ascent and Navigate.
Ascent and Navigate empower founders to achieve success at scale.
The Ascent and Navigate programs support emerging entrepreneurs of color in the outdoor industry by offering opportunities to connect, learn, and grow. We provide funding, 1:1 advising, curated programming, and access to industry experts at REI and beyond.
Structured, hands-on support
Navigate is a 6 month program that guides you through each stage of becoming a wholesale-ready product brand, from assessing your operational readiness, to preparing to meet with buyers, to post-launch management. The experience is customized and focused on action. ---Ascent is a 3 month program designed to meet outdoor product founders where you are, providing you with customized support to tackle the challenges impacting your business most. With your PAV advisor you focus on a specific business challenge, define a game plan, execute.
Individualized support
You will be paired one-on-one with a dedicated Path Ahead Ventures Advisor who will help guide you on your journey, covering critical areas like operational readiness, product assortment and pricing, retail buyer engagement, and more.
Expert connections
In addition to work with your Advisor, you will have the opportunity to meet with subject matter experts who can provide customized insights related to key points in your wholesale journey, such as making the most of industry shows, preparing for meetings with buyers, and using data to understand brand positioning.
Capital investment
All Navigate participants receive a $25,000 non-dilutive grant and all Ascent participants receive a $7500 non-dilutive grant to support your continued growth.
Community network
Partnership is key to who we are as a brand and organization. Not only will you join a supportive cohort of other founders, you will also have access to an outdoor-focused community of mentors, investors, experts, and REI Co-op connections.
Interested in joining us?
Application criteria:
Have a market-ready product aligned with outdoor retail.
At least one founder who is Black, Indigenous, Latina/o/x, or Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), holds an active leadership position in the company, and who received at least 20% founder's equity at initial incorporation.
You are over 18, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and your company is U.S.-based.
Navigate Only: Focused on and committed to wholesale growth in the next 12 months and your company has a minimum of $75k and maximum of $2M in revenue, but likely in the $200-700k range.
Ascent Only: Focused on solving a specific business challenge and your company has a minimum of $50k and maximum of $250k in revenue.
The Founder experience
See what you could experience as a founder in the Path Ahead Ventures Community.
2026 Company Spotlight
SUS MadeFounder, Taylor DuboseSUS makes upcycled travel pouches, wallets, and tote bags from reclaimed tent, tarp, and canopy fabric, all hand-sewn in the USA
Founder experience
In their own words
"The Ascent Program has been an amazing experience for FEND. It has given us access to invaluable resources, mentors with deep expertise across every channel, and lifelong friendships within our cohort. Being surrounded by fellow founders and the REI family, all united by a shared mission to get more people outside, has made the journey even more meaningful. This community has been instrumental to our growth, giving us a space to share resources, stories, and ideas, and to celebrate our wins together."
Sujene Kong
Co-Founder, FEND
"This program helped to ground us in a supportive community, and provided mentorship that both guided and challenged us to rethink some core assumptions about Mojave Mallows. The financial and emotional support were much needed, and the ongoing in-person events are full of resources, magical and help to keep us connected to the bigger picture of why we are doing what we are doing."
Stephanie Chan & Wendy Chan
Co-founders, Mojave Mallows
“The Ascent program has been a pivotal step for us at BRCĒ. We came in as a purely e-commerce business, and over 12 weeks the program made us retail-ready, guiding us through the retail process and giving us access to mentors whose advice shaped our approach. By the end, we had secured placement with REI for 2027 and launched on Walmart Marketplace. What surprised us most was how large the founder community is and how many resources stay available to us long after the program ends.”
Tanvi Gadamsetti
Co-founder, BRCĒ
Core components
In the Ascent and Navigate programs, you’ll be connected with REI’s industry-leading experts through on-site immersion, one-to-one advising sessions, and industry events.
Basecamp
Kick off the experience with a week together at REI’s HQ in the Seattle area. It’s time to get to know your cohort, meet with your Advisor and the REI program team, and dive into the program.
Program
During the program you will engage in virtual working sessions with your Advisor, "CEO coffee chats" with your cohort, and monthly office hours with industry experts. Each of these elements is meant to intentionally move your business forward on your journey. In addition, you will have access to our Resource library of guides, toolkits, templates and more!
In-person connections
Opportunities to participate in industry shows--like Outside Days, Switchback, or Outdoor Retailer--where you can connect with buyers, sell your product, and increase brand awareness.
Frequently asked questions
Want to get in touch? pathaheadventures@rei.com