Our vision
Protection that moves with the fighter
We want every woman and person with breasts in combat sport to have a chest protector made for their body: hard enough to take a knee to the sternum, soft enough that they forget it is there.
Hard enough
The protector has to absorb and spread a full contact strike away from breast tissue, the sternum, and the ribs. That means real impact material, tested against the kicks and punches that actually land in fights.
Soft enough
A protector that stops you rotating is a protector you stop wearing. Ours has to bend at the ribs, sit flat under a training gear, breathe throughout sessions, and stay put when the clinch pulls at it. This is the part the market has not solved.
The problem
Today’s chest protectors were not made for bodies with breasts
Most chest protectors on the market are borrowed men's gear with a curve pressed into it, or a softer cup with insufficient impact protection. Athletes tell us the same three things.
Too rigid to fight in
A hard plate blocks rotation in the hips and shoulders. You lose reach on the reverse punch and you feel the edge on every clinch.
Heat and sweat trapped
Closed plastic shells hold heat over five rounds. Athletes take the protector out at training and fight without it, which is where injuries start.
Bruising and bad fit
One shape for every body means pressure points, gaps at the sternum, and bruises that last longer than the tournament.
So the protector stays in the bag
All three problems end the same way: athletes leave the chest protector at home and spar without one. That carries real health consequences, from deep bruising and haematomas to cysts, scar tissue, and sternum and rib injuries that keep coming back.
And some stop fighting
Many women and people with breasts avoid hard sparring altogether, hold back in competition, or stop training in the discipline. Some leave the sport. The reason is not the sport, it is equipment that does not fit their body.
The concept
Two parts, individualised
Concept study: the moulded shell next to the top that carries it.
A moulded shell shaped from individual measurements.
A compression top that carries the shell.
Ventilation built into the structure.
Washable, replaceable parts, so the top and the shell do not age at the same rate.
This is a concept study, not a finished product. Materials, geometry, and manufacturing are exactly what the prototype phase has to answer.
Voices from the mat
What athletes tell us
“My training protector is one I fitted myself. I cut it to shape and taped the edges so it doesn’t dig into my sides and bruise me. When it started to crack, I taped those spots too instead of replacing it. Fitting a new one myself is a process I’d rather not repeat.”
Angela Felber
Our journey
How far we have come
Mar 2025
The idea, after another bruised training
Two Karatekas comparing notes on chest protectors that either hurt or did nothing. We started asking other athletes and heard the same complaints in every club.
2025
Talking to athletes and coaches
Conversations across disciplines and levels, from beginners to international competitors, on what they wear, what they skip, and why.
2026
Business concept course, Startup Campus Zurich
We completed the business concept course of Startup Campus Zurich, funded by Innosuisse, and turned the idea into a worked business concept.
Now
Building the first prototype
Our next step is one wearable prototype we can put in front of athletes and hit. For that we need people who know product design and materials.
Supporters and partners
Who backs the project
SheShield is built with support from programmes, clubs, and people who let us test on real athletes.
Startup Campus Zurich
Business concept course completed in 2026, funded by Innosuisse.
Clubs and athletes
Karatekas and fighters from other disciplines who answer our questions and test what we build.
