Performance Designs
Performance Designs, Inc. is a private Florida-based manufacturer of ram-air parachutes (main, reserve, and specialty/BASE canopies) for sport skydivers, wingsuit pilots, and BASE jumpers, distributing globally via authorized dealers, direct e-commerce, and USA/Europe demo programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersDeland, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Performance Designs does
Performance Designs, Inc. is a privately held American parachute manufacturer founded in 1982 and headquartered at 1320 E. International Speedway Blvd., DeLand, Florida. The company designs, develops, and manufactures ram-air sport parachutes organized into three product lines: mains (Sabre3, Silhouette, Pulse, Spectre, Storm, Stiletto, Katana, Comp Velocity, Valkyrie), reserves (Optimum, PD Reserve), and specialty/BASE canopies (Lightning, CF Storm, Horizon, Navigator, Peregrine, Zero, Proxy, Barnstormer, Sunriser). Manufacturing is conducted in-house at the DeLand facility under ISO 9001:2015 certification, with current custom sport production lead times of 11-17 weeks. Notable proprietary tooling includes the Canopix online custom design portal and dye sublimation printing services that allow personalized color and pattern configuration before order.
The business model is primarily hardware sales of canopies, supplemented by fee-based demo programs ($50-$100 per shipment in the USA; zone-based pricing in Europe), custom dye sublimation design services, aftermarket line sets and spare parts, and PD-branded merchandise. Distribution combines a global authorized dealer network (mid-market channel), direct e-commerce via store.performancedesigns.com, the Canopix custom-order portal, USA mail-away and pickup demos, European zone-based demos, and traveling demo tour events at dropzones. The company pursues a horizontal segmentation strategy serving sport skydivers across experience levels, wingsuit pilots, BASE jumpers, competitive canopy pilots, and any licensed skydiver requiring a reserve parachute.
Marketing is community-led and event-driven: an athlete sponsorship program featuring Pete Allum, Julian Barthel, Jesse Weyher, Danny Weiland, and others; active social channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok); presence at skydiving boogies and competitions; in-person factory tours at the DeLand HQ; and educational blog/tips content. Strategic training partnerships with Flight-1, Down to Flock, and Momentum Flight reinforce canopy piloting and flocking education. The company was founded and remains led by Bill Coe as Founder, Owner, and President. No external investment, acquisitions, or parent company relationships are disclosed.
Performance Designs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Performance Designs
- Legal name
- Performance Designs, Inc.
- Website
- https://performancedesigns.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Performance Designs, Inc. is a private Florida-based manufacturer of ram-air parachutes (main, reserve, and specialty/BASE canopies) for sport skydivers, wingsuit pilots, and BASE jumpers, distributing globally via authorized dealers, direct e-commerce, and USA/Europe demo programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Performance Designs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Skydiving Parachute Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992)
- SIC
- Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Glider & Sailplane Manufacturing (IMABAAAG)
Keywords
Where Performance Designs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Deland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Performance Designs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Main Canopy Sales: Primary revenue from designing, manufacturing, and selling ram-air sport parachutes including the Sabre3, Silhouette, Pulse, Spectre, Storm, Stiletto, Katana, Comp Velocity, and Valkyrie lines
- Reserve Canopy Sales: Emergency reserve parachutes including Optimum and PD Reserve product lines for safety-critical applications
- Specialty/BASE Canopy Sales: Specialty canopies for BASE jumping and wingsuit flying including Lightning, CF Storm, Horizon, Navigator, Peregrine, Zero, Proxy, Barnstormer, and Sunriser models
- Demo Program Fees: Fee-based canopy demo program where customers can test canopies before purchasing. USA demos cost $65-$100 depending on canopy type, with reduced fees for customer pickup
- Custom Design Services: Custom color and dye sublimation design services allowing personalized canopy aesthetics at premium pricing
- Aftermarket Parts & Accessories: Line sets, spare parts, and PD branded merchandise (swag) sold through online store
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | USA Mail-Away Demo - Non Cross-Braced Canopies |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | USA Mail-Away Demo - Cross-Braced Canopies |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | USA Pickup Demo - Non Cross-Braced |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | USA Pickup Demo - Cross-Braced |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | EU Demo Pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Performance Designs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Performance Designs designs, manufactures, and sells ram-air sport parachutes for skydiving, BASE jumping, wingsuit flying, and canopy piloting competitions. The portfolio spans main sport canopies, emergency reserve parachutes, and specialty/BASE canopies, complemented by a Canopix online custom design tool, dye sublimation printing services, fee-based demo programs, and aftermarket parts and merchandise sold through an authorized dealer network and direct e-commerce channels.
Product overview
Performance Designs is a skydiving parachute manufacturer with over 40 years of experience designing and building canopies. The company offers a portfolio of main sport parachutes (Mains: SABRE3, SILHOUETTE, PULSE, SPECTRE, STORM, STILETTO, KATANA, COMP VELOCITY, VALKYRIE), specialty parachutes for disciplines like canopy formation and BASE (LIGHTNING, CF STORM, HORIZON, NAVIGATOR, PEREGRINE, ZERO, PROXY, BARNSTORMER, SUNRISER), and reserve parachutes (OPTIMUM, PD RESERVE). The product ecosystem also includes a Canopix online design tool for custom canopy visualization and ordering, a dye sublimation customization service, and a demo program allowing skydivers to try canopies before purchase. Production time for sport canopies is approximately 11–17 weeks as of June 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SABRE3 Main sport parachute canopy in the Mains product line designed for recreational skydivers.
- SILHOUETTE Main sport parachute canopy in the Mains product line for recreational skydivers.
- PULSE Main sport parachute canopy in the Mains product line for recreational skydivers.
- SPECTRE Main sport parachute canopy in the Mains product line for recreational skydivers.
- STORM Main sport parachute canopy designed for long control range and tight landing spots, including CRW (Canopy Relative Work) use.
- STILETTO Main sport parachute canopy in the Mains product line for recreational skydivers.
- KATANA Main sport parachute canopy in the Mains product line for recreational skydivers.
- COMP VELOCITY High-performance competition canopy for competitive canopy pilots.
- VALKYRIE High-performance canopy designed for experienced pilots, used in competitions and advanced maneuvers.
- LIGHTNING Specialty parachute canopy in the Specialty product line.
- CF STORM Specialty canopy designed for Canopy Formation (CF) flying.
- HORIZON 7-cell specialty canopy designed to open smoothly in a wingsuit burble, with small pack volume.
- NAVIGATOR Specialty parachute canopy in the Specialty product line.
- PEREGRINE High-performance specialty canopy for experienced pilots, suited for XRW or swoop competitions.
- ZERO Specialty parachute canopy in the Specialty product line.
- PROXY Vented BASE/specialty canopy, including the Vented Prox model used for BASE jumping records.
- BARNSTORMER Specialty parachute canopy in the Specialty product line.
- SUNRISER Specialty parachute canopy in the Specialty product line.
- OPTIMUM Reserve parachute in the Reserves product line for emergency use by skydivers.
- PD RESERVE Reserve parachute in the Reserves product line for emergency use by skydivers.
- Demo Program Canopy demo program allowing skydivers to try PD canopies before purchasing, with mail-away, pickup, and tour options in the USA and zone-based options in Europe.
- Canopix Design Tool Online canopy design interface that lets customers visualize and customize their canopy designs with various color and pattern options before ordering.
- Dye Sublimation Service Dye sublimation service allowing customers to put custom designs and full-color graphics on their canopies.
Quantifiable outcome
- World record BASE jumping performance with 61 jumps in 24 hours using PD Vented Proxys
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Performance Designs
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Performance Designs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Performance Designs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Flocking by Flight-1coreFlight-1 offers canopy flocking training camps that teach proper flocking techniques. PD recommends Flight-1 as a reputable source for learning flocking disciplines, supporting customer education in canopy control and formation flying skills.
- Down to FlockcoreCanopy flocking camp organization providing training for all skill levels and wing loadings. PD recommends their camps as a way for jumpers to learn flocking disciplines and improve canopy control.
- Momentum FlightcoreCanopy piloting and flocking camp provider run by athlete Matt Leonard. Offers training camps for developing flocking and canopy piloting skills. PD promotes their camps for customer education.
- Skydive City FloridaminorHost venue for Operation VK, the first large-scale Valkyrie canopy flocking event with 30+ athletes from around the world in November 2023.
- Training MaskminorEquipment sponsor that provided a rig for BASE jumping world record attempt athlete Danny Weiland, complementing PD's canopy sponsorship.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Performance Designs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sun Path Products: Major manufacturer of skydiving canopies (including the Sabre line) that directly competes with PD's main canopy products in the same sport skydiver customer segment with similar pricing tiers and dealer-based distribution model.
- Icarus Canopies: Skydiving canopy manufacturer offering competition and sport canopies that overlap with PD's product range, targeting similar sport skydiving and competition pilots at events and through dealer networks.
- United Parachute Technologies: Manufacturer of parachute harness/container systems and canopies serving skydiving schools and individual skydivers, comparable to PD as a parachute equipment provider with overlapping B2B (dropzone, school) and B2C distribution channels.
- Squirrel: BASE jumping and wingsuit equipment manufacturer including canopies that directly overlap with PD's specialty canopy product line (Proxy, Peregrine, Horizon) for BASE and wingsuit pilots, with comparable customer base of experienced skydivers.
- Strong Enterprises: Parachute manufacturer with skydiving and military product offerings that competes with PD in the parachute manufacturing space, particularly in canopy production for sport and tactical applications.
- National Parachute Industries: Parachute manufacturer serving skydiving and aerospace applications with a product portfolio that overlaps PD's canopy and reserve offerings, competing for similar individual and commercial customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Performance Designs social profiles
Digital presencePerformance Designs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Performance Designs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Performance Designs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Performance Designs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Performance Designs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Performance Designs
What does Performance Designs do?
Performance Designs designs, manufactures, and sells ram-air sport parachutes for skydiving, BASE jumping, wingsuit flying, and canopy piloting competitions. The portfolio spans main sport canopies, emergency reserve parachutes, and specialty/BASE canopies, complemented by a Canopix online custom design tool, dye sublimation printing services, fee-based demo programs, and aftermarket parts and merchandise sold through an authorized dealer network and direct e-commerce channels.
Is Performance Designs a public or private company?
Performance Designs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Performance Designs founded?
Performance Designs was founded in 1982. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Performance Designs based?
Performance Designs is headquartered in Deland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Performance Designs make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Main Canopy Sales are the primary driver. The others are reserve Canopy Sales, specialty/BASE Canopy Sales, demo Program Fees, custom Design Services and aftermarket Parts & Accessories.
Who are Performance Designs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sun Path Products, Icarus Canopies, United Parachute Technologies, Squirrel, Strong Enterprises and National Parachute Industries.
Does Performance Designs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Performance Designs.
What industry is Performance Designs in?
Performance Designs's product category is Skydiving Parachute Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAAAG, Glider & Sailplane Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 336413 and its SIC code is 3728.