Julie Wainwright

The RealReal is an online luxury goods consignment shop that Julie Wainwright founded at the age of 53. The platform has 19 storefronts where people can bring their secondhand luxury items and 450 door-to-door sales teams that pick up items from households. With this strong logistical network and in-house authentication, The RealReal is able to charge a 36% commission fee on transactions. Since launching in 2011, it has become currently one of the most recognizable names in the secondhand luxury space. 

Wainwright is no stranger to publicity. She was the CEO of Pets.com, a poster child of the dot-com bubble. After the extremely publicized failure of Pets.com and a divorce on the same day that Pets.com went, Wainwright catapulted herself back into success, taking The RealReal public in 2019. The company is now worth 174.67 million. 

Wainwright has advocated against the stigmatization of age in the VC world. In the status quo, age is seen as a competitive weapon and although Wainwright agrees this is true, youth also brings major mistakes (Think Theranos or Uber). Wainwright believes with age, she developed the skills and perseverance to overcome personal and professional obstacles.