Company’s name: HeroWear
Founded: 2020
Headquarters: Nashville, TN, US
HeroWear is pushing us toward the futuristic world we see in movies. They design exoskeletons for everyday workers who lift heavy loads, giving them the comfort, reliability, and protection they deserve.
Karl Zelik, a biomechanical engineer and father, experienced back pain from caring for his two young kids. Knowing that the market’s options—back belts and bulky exoskeletons—weren’t practical, Karl teamed up with Vanderbilt University to create something better. After three years of hard work, HeroWear was born.
We spoke with Paul Nicholson, VP of Growth, Leader of Marketing and Client Services, who shared how HeroWear uses the Pics.io DAM system. It’s inspiring to see how Pics.io fits into their daily workflow, making a real difference in how they operate.
- First of all, I'd love for you to share a bit more about your company and product.
Sure! I’ve been with HeroWear since 2020, though the company was founded in 2019 as a spin-off from Vanderbilt University, where the technology had been developing since 2015. I joined just before we launched our first product, the Apex. 2020 was an interesting year to start a new company, but the product was incredibly well-received.
Our product is a back-assist exosuit designed for people whose jobs involve frequent bending and lifting—tasks that make up over half of all jobs. Nearly everything around you was handled by a human at some point, and this repetitive lifting leads to significant back strain. The real problem isn't just heavy lifting but repeated bending or lifting, along with sustained leaning, which causes muscle fatigue.
In the U.S., overexertion injuries from bending and lifting are the top workplace injury in industries like logistics, manufacturing, and retail. Our exosuit reduces back strain by 20-40%, cuts fatigue by up to 40%, and lowers injury risk by 15-20%.
- That’s amazing! It sounds like an essential tool for anyone in physically demanding jobs.
Absolutely. I often joke that even doing simple household tasks like cooking or loading the dishwasher can make my back tired. I can't imagine doing that for 8 to 12 hours a day. We've heard incredible testimonials from users who say they used to come home exhausted but now have the energy to spend time with their family, walk the dog, or enjoy life. It’s genuinely improving people’s quality of life.
- It sounds like you've come a long way since you started. How has the company evolved?
When I joined, I was the fifth hire after the three co-founders and another expert. We started off small, but now we’ve grown to over 20 employees. In early 2023, we launched the second generation of our product after listening closely to user feedback. The response has been amazing, and now we’re selling globally with a strong presence in the U.S., Central and Eastern Europe, and Australia.
"Pics.io allows us to manage media releases and keep everything clear—what can be used publicly and what is for internal use only. This is especially helpful when working with agencies or on internal projects."
- Can you tell us more about your role in the company?
I'm responsible for marketing and helping to grow the company. We're the exclusive licensor of technology developed at Vanderbilt University, and we’ve built our own patents since. From the beginning, we had great product-market fit, which allowed us to scale quickly and become a mature product company in a relatively short time—something rare for hardware startups.
- How has Pics.io helped your company? I heard you were working with some external agencies before.
Yes, as we grew, we worked with a few different marketing agencies, and Pics.io has helped us stay organized. We generate a lot of assets, like video interviews and footage from our users, and we need a way to track everything. Pics.io allows us to manage media releases and keep everything clear—what can be used publicly and what is for internal use only. This is especially helpful when working with agencies or on internal projects.
- What kind of assets do you work with?
We primarily work with images and videos—everything from professional photo shoots to raw footage from customer site visits. We have thousands of hours of footage and thousands of pictures, so being able to organize and sort through all of that is essential.
- Which departments at your company use Pics.io?
Mostly, it’s our marketing team—both in-house and our marketing agency—that uses Pics.io. We also take advantage of features like collections and the public webpage sharing option to share assets externally.
For example, we have a press kit on our website where the media can download basic assets like our logo and a few pictures. We also have a password-protected collection in Pics.io for additional images. This lets us share more pictures and videos securely, with control over access and expiration dates.
Our client services team also uses Pics.io for user training and content creation, mainly uploading and organizing footage from customer locations. The tool makes it easy to sort and create clips or collections for clients.
"What we love about Pics.io is how seamlessly it integrates with Google Workspace. We can access files through both Google Drive and Pics.io, giving our team the flexibility to use whichever platform they prefer."
- Is there anything you’d like to see improved in Pics.io?
Early on, tagging keywords and filtering wasn't as intuitive, though it's improved over time. One challenge we face is the cost associated with automated tagging tools because of the high volume of content we produce. It would be nice to have more of those tools included for free. Additionally, the search and filtering interface could be made more user-friendly, especially for non-technical users. Sometimes the interface can be overwhelming, and users revert to Google Drive for simplicity.
- How did you first find out about Pics.io?
I think I was just searching online. I had used digital asset managers at other companies, but many of them were expensive and had features we didn’t need. Pics.io was attractive because it worked with our Google Workspace storage, allowing us to use our existing space without additional costs.
- Do you use Pics.io in your daily workflow?
Yes, we mostly use it for sharing content with customers. When we visit their locations and take pictures or videos, they sometimes ask to see them. We use the sharing feature to send all the pictures and videos directly to them. Most customers just want us to filter through the content and create a final video, but some want access to everything, so it's really useful for that.
We also use it a lot for press and media. If a media outlet—like a newspaper or magazine—wants to do a story on us, we can easily share collections of pictures, all password-protected. We also have a partner program with global partners, and we use it to share a group of assets, tools, and documents with them in a secure, password-protected way. It’s been incredibly useful for that as well.
- Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, Paul. It’s been really insightful!
You're welcome. I'm happy to share my feedback. I’ve been overall very satisfied with Pics.io, and I look forward to seeing it improve even more.
Did you enjoy this interview? Give Pics.io a try! — Or book a demo with us, and we'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
