Joe McSwiney
Director
Joe is Principal at Nua Holdings, founded to create a better alternative for ownership succession in the Outdoor Sporting Goods arena. Prior to founding Nua, Joe was CEO of SOG Knives & Tools, a tactical brand specializing in the creation of essential gear ranging from everyday carry to mission critical. From 2006 to 2016 Joe served as President of Cascade Designs Inc., home to the iconic outdoor equipment brands: Therm-a-Rest, MSR, Platypus and SealLine. Joe has been a longtime activist on sustainability, participating in both European and US Outdoor Industry sustainability industry movements for over a decade. This included creation of the Higg Sustainability Index and the foundation of the European Outdoor Conservation Association. He is a passionate supporter of the start-up community. This includes acting as fractional COO for early-stage start-ups as well as mentoring via accelerators such as Fledge and University of Washington CoMotion Labs. Joe is also advisor to Middlerock, a consulting team targeting transformational intervention at mid-stage tech start-ups. Joe received his undergraduate degree in Electronics Engineering from the Cork Institute of Technology in 1986 and attended University College Galway, to earn his MBA in 1994. In his spare time Joe is an avid martial artist, tech hobbyist, mountain biker, hiker and parkour advocate.