The Fort - An Entrepreneurship Podcast

#275 - Andy Dunn - Co-Founder of Bonobos - Building an Apparel Co, Future of EComm, and Bipolar Disorder

Apr 11, 2023

01:08:20

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Andy Dunn co-founded the menswear brand Bonobos and served as CEO until its 2017 acquisition by Walmart. As an investor, he has backed more than eighty startups, including Warby Parker, Coinbase, Away, Glossier, Real, Parade, SeatGeek, and Alula.

In May, Dunn will release a memoir, titled Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind, which explores the intersection of entrepreneurship and mental illness.

Dunn’s next business venture, called Pumpkin Pie, is a social media app currently in beta that aims to detoxify digital culture.

Dunn, a graduate of Northwestern and Stanford's MBA program, also serves on the boards of Monica + Andy, an organic baby apparel company founded by his sister Monica Royer, tech social good nonprofit Raised By Us, and the Network for Executive Women.

On this episode Chris & Andy discuss:

➡️ How he's dealt with bipolar disorder and why its something common in entrepreneurs

➡️ Why apparel companies succeed and why they fail

➡️ Selling to Walmart

➡️ The future of e-commerce and brick & mortar

Key Takeaways

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:03) - Andy’s experience dealing with mental illness and depression

(00:12:18) - What is it about someone with mental illness that would make them a great entrepreneur?

(00:19:19) - Elon, autism, and narcissism

(00:21:42) - Are these illnesses genetic or nurtured?

(00:24:04) - How is mental illness looked upon now vs. when you were diagnosed?