Many start-up founders dream of being acquired by a massive Fortune 500 company. Well, less than 2 years after launch, Jet has been acquired by Wal-Mart for ~$3 billion. This was a major power play for Wal-Mart, as it attempts to compete with eCommerce juggernaut Amazon.com. Wal-Mart may never catch up to Amazon even after acquiring Jet (the critics are unoptimistic), but there’s no doubt that Jet must have been doing something right if it was able to get...

In 1901, King C. Gillette had a revelation that would change the way products are sold forever. Gillette was a salesman at the Crown Cork and Seal Company (CCK). CCK sold the first disposable bottle cap; the “crown” style cap you find on most glass bottles. After seeing the success of the crown cap, Gillette realized there was potential for other disposable products. He specifically saw an opportunity in the razor blade market. Why? Because back in the olden days,...

The new wave of fashion startups is revolutionizing the entire industry, and investors are taking notice. Millions of dollars in venture capital are being funneled into fashion businesses that sell everything from underwear (Mack Weldon), to fully custom suits and shirts (Indochino and Blank Label), and even trendy “try-before-you-buy” prescription eyeglasses (Warby Parker). CB Insights reports that fashion startup brands have gone from $25M in funding in 2010, to $235M in 2015. And as you might know, where there’s...