Gripmode's story began in 2018, when founder Michael "Mike" Bolvin was in New York on a sports scholarship. Bolvin, an active goalkeeper whose career included time with Fortuna Düsseldorf, could not find gloves that were both affordable and durable, so he decided to develop his own.
After months of work, the first Gripmode prototypes launched in mid-2018, and the brand says the first run sold out within 24 hours. Bolvin then moved the business to Switzerland to run it with his family. His mother, Elena, oversees leadership and finance, and his father, Gilbert, handles logistics and communication. Gripmode GmbH was formally founded in 2021.
Bolvin also makes goalkeeping videos as Modern Goalkeeping, and the brand says more than 50,000 goalkeepers around the world wear its gloves.