Guardian Caps
Sporting Goods ManufacturingGeorgia, United States11-50 Employees
Guardian Caps is a sporting goods manufacturer based in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, founded in 2011 by Erin and Lee Hanson, veterans in material science. The Guardian Cap helmet cover, launched in 2012, is worn by more than 500,000 athletes and has been mandated by the NFL and CFL after proving its ability to reduce impact forces. The company has expanded into other protective and field safety products, including the PEARL line of lacrosse balls—greaseless, USA-made balls that stay in spec and serve as the official ball for leagues from the PLL to NCAA championships—and the LOOP headband developed with Schutt to provide protection for flag football and non-helmeted sports. In 2025, Guardian introduced the SoftShox Chinstrap, the first safety chinstrap engineered to absorb facemask impacts, and the company also offers USDA-certified bio-based infill and the Astropad underlayment for safer turf systems nationwide. The business, which employs 11-50 people, maintains its website at guardiansports.com and reports revenue in the $1 million to $10 million range; it was named a finalist for the 2026 World Intellectual Property Organization Global Awards.