Welcome to Episode 57 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast of your most-trusted source for startup and tech jobs, news, and insights!

For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Jules Pieri, Co-Founder & CEO of The Grommet.

The Grommet is a community that has reshaped the way people discover, share, influence, and buy products online. The company’s mission is rooted in what they call “Citizen Commerce,” and they have helped launch many products that are now household names like Fitbit, SodaStream, OtterBox, S’well water bottles, and many more.

To kick off our interview, I ask Jules about “the shoes.” It is a story about Jules and how she was pounding the pavement in the early days of building The Grommet to the point where she wore out these shoes and they fell apart right before a meeting with potential investors. It is a legendary story of entrepreneurial grit and perseverance that is a common theme throughout not only Jules’ professional career but her whole life.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover:

-Jules’ background growing up in Detroit and the early foundation years.

-Her work on the iconic Reebok Pump sneaker.

-What she learned working very closely with legendary tech CEO, Meg Whitman.

-The details on The Grommet, a successful consumer marketplace that is now majority-owned by Ace Hardware.

-Her scrappy PR strategy, and how she has been able to get coverage in major publications like The New York Times, Fortune, Inc., and many others.

-Advice for entrepreneurs, especially women, who are raising venture capital.

-Plus, a lot more.

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