Hardware Podcasts

BARK: Matt Meeker

How I Built This · 4 Nov 2024 · 1h 06m

What this episode covers

Matt Meeker, co-founder of Bark, recounts the company's journey from a dog toy subscription box inspired by his Great Dane Hugo to a public company that launched Bark Air. He details the strategic pivot away from venture capital to preserve culture, the near-death experience of burning $194 million in a single fiscal year, and the decision to return as CEO to stabilize profitability. Meeker also reflects on past failures with his text-messaging startup and Meetup, emphasizing the importance of cash flow management and focusing on core competencies like toys over expanding into food.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Bark, Meetup, Birchbox, Groupon, PetSmart, Petco, Uber, Dog Patch Labs, Amazon, Chewy, Facebook, Instagram
Products
Bark Air
Tools
Square
Also
Howard Dean

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