Sol Republic

Lore & Background

Sol Republic was founded in 2010 by Scott Hix, Seth Combs, and Kevin Lee. Lee had worked at Beats Audio, while Hix had been an executive with InFocus. Lee's father, Noel Lee, founded Monster. The name is an acronym for 'soundtrack of life'. By December 2011, the company had 33 employees split between headquarters in Wilsonville, Oregon, and San Francisco, California. In July 2011, the company received $5.2 million in investment funding, followed by $22 million in July 2012. Sol Republic introduced its DECK portable speaker in August 2013 in partnership with Motorola Mobility; the system was designed to work with the Motorola Moto X. At that time the company had grown to 85 employees. The company raised another $27 million in March 2014, by which time it was employing 100 people and had its products in 26,000 retail stores. The funding came from Riverwood Capital and Greenoaks Capital Management, and was expected to be used to expand into international markets as well as new product development. Sol Republic's main distribution channels at that time were through Apple, RadioShack, and Best Buy. In 2014, the President of Sol Republic, Scott Hix, gave up his duties to co-founder and CEO Kevin Lee. Hix still owns a major portion of the company and is still considered a co-founder. Hix's business partner Brad Gleeson also left the company in January 2014.

During December 2015, the official website was shut down temporarily for redesign of the entire structure. They were also purchased by HMDX audio, and had their headquarters relocated to the same location as HMDX. In this merger, many of the styles of Tracks were discontinued, including their college and musician styles, as well as some of their Bluetooth devices, such as the Deck speaker and Tracks Air headphones. They also switched from using custom made and sized boxes for shipping to using generic packaging. Products Sol Republic manufacturers a variety of audio products, such as headphones, portable speakers, and ear buds. To help in marketing the products, the company has partnered with musicians and DJs such as Calvin Harris, Deadmau5 and Steve Aoki. Artist Jesse Hernandez was hired by the company to design a line of headphones in 2015.

Reader's Guide

Sol Republic carved a niche in the consumer audio market with its modular Tracks headphones, which allowed users to swap ear cups and headbands for customization. The company's partnerships with high-profile musicians like Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, and Steve Aoki helped it gain visibility among younger audiences. Its funding rounds—totaling over $54 million by 2014—reflected investor confidence in its growth, and its products reached 26,000 retail stores, including Apple, RadioShack, and Best Buy. However, the company's trajectory shifted after its acquisition by HoMedics (via HMDX audio) in late 2015 or early 2016. The merger led to discontinuation of many product lines, including the Deck speaker and Tracks Air headphones, and a move to generic packaging. Sol Republic's legacy lies in its early embrace of modular headphone design and its brief but notable presence in the portable speaker market, particularly the DECK speaker developed with Motorola. The company's history also highlights the influence of the Lee family (Kevin Lee and his father Noel Lee of Monster) in the audio industry.

Did You Know?

• Co-founder Kevin Lee previously worked at Beats Audio, and his father Noel Lee founded Monster.
• The company partnered with Motorola Mobility to create the DECK portable speaker for the Moto X in August 2013.
• Sol Republic raised a total of $54.2 million in funding across three rounds between 2011 and 2014.