Three crazy-great stories that make me proud
We had great success with launching three wildly different Grommets last week. I share them below. Squatty Potty. This is a brave story for us. I…
Who says startup offices have to be quiet? Bring on da noise.
I’ve always been struck that many technology startups are very, very quiet offices. No “Mad Man-esque” phones ringing or typewriters clacking and office chitchat. Not a…
Tech Cash Pours into Food Startups; while Kickstarter Stays Course
Today’s Wall Street Journal released an article on the flow of new investments into artisinal food businesses. These are enterprises that would have been laughed out…
Day-tripping for mushrooms with a toddler
The single best thing about building Grommet has been watching the ongoing success of our Grommet partners, like Back to the Roots Ventures. The founders are…
True tales from our 2012 tour of duty
On the Friday that our Rakuten investment closed, It was formally concluded with a simple “the Eagle has landed” email from Wai-Yan Sun, the Rakuten USA…
The top trend we see at Grommet
One of the coolest things about launching a product every day is we have a direct, tangible pulse on consumer sentiment. People tell us what they…
Rakuten invests in Daily Grommet!
Pinch me please. Being able to announce that Rakuten made an investment in Daily Grommet is a dream come true. If we travelled the world (and…
Watching Kickstarter: two years–and a lifetime–later
Picture this. It’s Fall of 2010 and Joanne and I are invited to attend the highly interesting and wacky MakerFaire New York. (Blog post about it…
The not-so-fun side of the toy business
There’s a beloved and well-run small specialty store chain in Boston called Magic Beans. They are known for offering quality juvenile products and toys, alongside excellent…
A little walk down memory lane with my mom
I’ve posted before about how Zappos once did something really nice for my mom. It’s a story that went a bit crazy online and was subsequently…
Jules Pieri 