The Breakdown: Andy Dunn on Building Bonobos, Battling Bipolar, and Reinventing Friendship with Pie

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan talks with Andy Dunn, founder of Bonobos, author, and advocate for mental health. They discuss Andy's groundbreaking work in retail with Bonobos, his personal experience navigating mental health challenges, and his latest venture, Pie Social, aimed at fostering in-person connections. Andy opens up about the influence of growing up in a multicultural household, the impact of his bipolar disorder diagnosis, and how he turned what many see as a weakness into a powerful aspect of his identity.

Guest Bio and Links:

Andy Dunn is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder of Bonobos Inc. Dunn served as CEO for eleven years after co-founding the Bonobos brand in 2007. In June 2017, Walmart announced purchasing the Bonobos brand for $310 million in cash.

Learn more about Andy Dunn at his website, on IG @dunn 

Andy’s Book: Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind

Show Notes: 

• (0:00) Intro
• (2:30) Leah introduces guest, Andy Dunn, founder of Bonobos 
• (3:30) Andy discusses growing up in a multicultural household
• (6:00) Realizing the power in differences during college
• (11:00) Transition from pre-med to business 
• (15:00) The Stanford experience and meeting Brian
• (17:30) Challenges and successes of building Bonobos
• (19:00) The digital brand revolution
• (24:00) The innovation of Bonobos' guide shops without inventory
• (30:00) Mental health advocacy and writing Burn Rate
• (35:00) Substance use and misdiagnosis
• (36:00) Burying the bipolar diagnosis
• (37:00) Repressed memories and mental health
• (38:00) Depression and starting Bonobos
• (39:30) Second episode and higher stakes
• (46:00) Cultural differences in mental health
• (52:00)  ”Strengths have shadows.”
• (56:00) Founding Pie and platonic friendships
• (1:04:00) Challenging societal norms
• (1:06:00) Finding empathy in political norms
• (1:10:00) Closing thoughts

   

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Leah Solivan is the host of Breaking Precedent, a podcast that explores the stories of innovators who are pushing societal boundaries and setting new precedents in their fields. Leah is General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail. Leah has 15 years of experience building and creating technology products that have reached millions of people around the globe. She started her career at IBM as an engineer in the software group, working on Lotus Notes and Domino. In 2008, Leah founded TaskRabbit, the leading on-demand service marketplace in the world.

Connect with Leah:

Website: breakingprecedent.com/ 

Instagram: @labunleashed

X: @labunleashed