The founders of DeSoto are Emilio De Soto and Dan Neyenhuis. Emilio De Soto is a triathlete who is racing in his 27th consecutive season of triathlon competition. He is also fully immersed in his athletic lifestyle as a fitness trainer and coach. Dan Neyenhuis is an age-grouper triathlete who has been helicopter skiing for 20 years. Together, they created a company that designs cutting edge triathlon gear for triathletes, by triathletes.

DeSoto gear is designed to enhance performance in each leg of the race. The founders created the first mesh running cap, zippered tri tops, pocketed tri shorts, transition packs, tri suits, and tri shorts with discreet pads for cycling.

One of their other achievements was creating the DeSoto T1 triathlon wetsuit that is two pieces instead of one. The DeSoto T1 triathlon wetsuit was designed to make a better fit for triathletes, and each year, more DeSoto tri tops and DeSoto tri shorts are being added to the line. DeSoto is still the only company in the world that makes a two-piece triathlon wetsuit.