About Us

My name is Steve. I grew up carrying heavy bags to school, staring at my feet while walking, and slouching in every chair. My parents complained about my posture incessantly, but I took no heed of their advice. Why would I? I was young and pain-free.

When I went off to college, I continued studying the tops of my shoes. And if I wasn't busy staring at my feet, I would stare at the little window into the world called a smartphone, my head bent forward, as is customary in the age of mobile devices.

When I started work, I found myself slouching in a chair for upwards of 8 hours a day. Even with a high-end ergonomic chair, I could not comfortably remain in the "correct" position as recommended by ergonomists -- that is, with feet flat on the floor, knees at 90 degrees, hips at 90 degrees, with buttocks all the way back on the seat pan. I always wanted to shift around and stretch my legs out.

As an adult, I had to acknowledge my mortality and accept the fact that I simply could not keep up these bad habits without paying the price down the road: Back pain, herniated discs, a permanent humpback.

I tried a standing desk, but standing still for any length of time was torturous. I tried saddle chairs, kneeling chairs, exercise balls, and everything in between. Nothing quite worked. Eventually I came to the conclusion that there was no chair designed for me, so I decided to build something from scratch.

I spent hundreds to thousands of hours sketching ideas, building prototypes at a local makerspace, and banging my head against a wall. Working with manufacturers and fabricators in Minneapolis, I turned the prototype into a product. What started as a bike saddle mounted on a metal post gradually morphed into the Sidesaddle: A half-sitting, half-standing chair that supports your pelvis while in an upright standing posture.