Hardware Podcasts

S'well: Sarah Kauss (2020)

How I Built This · 5 Sept 2022 · 1h 04m

What this episode covers

Sarah Kauss, founder of S'well, explains how she left a career in real estate development to launch a sleek, insulated water bottle after a hiking trip with her mother. She details the bootstrapped journey from a $30,000 savings and 3,000 initial bottles made in China to securing major retail partnerships with Crate & Barrel and Starbucks. Kauss also discusses the critical role of brand design, the strategic decision to donate bottles to the TED Conference for influencer visibility, and the legal battles against counterfeiters who copied her logo and product.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Ernst and Young, Harvard Business School, Crate & Barrel, Oprah's Magazine, TED Conference, Starbucks, UNICEF
Products
S'well
Also
Howard Schultz, Shonda Rimes

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