Manish Chandra, the founder and CEO of Poshmark, shares his inspiring journey from India to creating a beloved social marketplace for secondhand fashion. He reflects on the pivotal moment when the iPhone 4 sparked his vision for a mobile shopping app. Chandra discusses the company's rapid growth, user activism, and challenges with shipping costs. He also reveals insights from securing crucial funding and Poshmark's recent expansion into pet products, highlighting the importance of community engagement and adaptability in business.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Poshmark's Origin
Manish Chandra's idea for Poshmark came from observing a homecoming queen's thrifted dress, the iPhone 4's camera, and his wife's unused clothes.
This led to a vision of a mobile marketplace for secondhand clothing, bringing the thrift store experience online.
insights INSIGHT
Ayn Rand's Influence
Manish Chandra was inspired by Ayn Rand's philosophy of individualism and freedom, leading him to pursue further studies in America.
His initial vision of America, influenced by Rand's work, contrasted with his eventual landing in Austin, Texas.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Caboodle's Birth
Manish Chandra's frustration with the lack of online tools for home remodeling led to the idea for Caboodle, an early version of Pinterest.
Initially designed for home goods, Caboodle later pivoted to focus on social shopping for women's fashion.
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Published in 1943, 'The Fountainhead' by Ayn Rand tells the story of Howard Roark, a young and innovative architect who refuses to compromise his artistic vision despite the opposition from society. The novel explores themes of individualism, egoism, and the conflict between those who think for themselves (the 'first-handers') and those who follow the opinions of others (the 'second-handers'). It also delves into the lives of other characters such as Dominique Francon, Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey, and Gail Wynand, each representing different aspects of Rand's philosophical ideas. The book is a defense of egoism and individualism, presenting a radical rethinking of basic moral concepts and challenging conventional notions of selfishness and altruism[2][3][5].
Outlive
The Science and Art of Longevity
Peter Attia
Bill Gifford
In this book, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health. The book aims to replace the outdated medical framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, focusing on creating the best individual plan for long-term health. It covers topics such as the limitations of cholesterol tests, underdiagnosed liver conditions, the importance of exercise, and the integration of overall health with relational health.
When the iPhone 4 was released in 2010, Manish Chandra was dazzled by its picture quality, and saw an opportunity for a new type of mobile marketplace. A year later, he and three co-founders launched Poshmark, a shopping app for second-hand clothes and accessories, meant to capture the feel of going thrifting with your friends. The online community grew quickly and vocally—when Poshmark raised shipping fees, users lobbied furiously to lower them, and won. The company faced many more growing pains before being acquired by the Naver Corporation for $1.2 billion in 2023. It now has over 100 million registered users around the world.
This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei.
It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Katherine Sypher.
Our engineers were Robert Rodriguez and Josh Newell.
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