What Works for Startups Like Yours?

Anthony Wood launched Roku in 2008 as a $99 hardware device that connected TVs to the internet with a simple, accessible remote interface. Despite initial skepticism from investors and media executives, Roku grew into an expansive media company that creates and distributes content to over 65 million accounts worldwide, fundamentally changing how people consume television.

Spinbrush was an electric toothbrush startup founded by John Osher that became the top-selling toothbrush in the U.S. through innovative design (fixed + oscillating bristles), aggressive pricing ($5 vs. $80 competitors), and packaging innovation (Try Me feature). The company achieved a $475M acquisition by Procter & Gamble after demonstrating category-defining product-market fit and managing inventory discipline that included scrapping 400,000 defective units.

First customers: Toys R Us partnership that provided a lifeline during entrepreneurial terror phase

Vizio, founded by William Wang after his previous business failure and a near-fatal plane crash, revolutionized TV manufacturing by cutting out middlemen and offering internet-connected televisions at aggressive prices. The company became one of the top-selling TV brands in the US through direct-to-consumer distribution. In 2024, Vizio was acquired by Walmart for $2.3 billion.

iRobot was founded by Colin Angle with a vision to advance robotic technology, spending over a decade building military and toy products before the Roomba robot vacuum created an entirely new consumer category. The Roomba became a cultural icon with tens of millions of units sold, but the company eventually hit a wall when a $1.7 billion acquisition deal with Amazon fell through, leading to stagnation and decline.

First customers: Military contracts for bomb-detecting robots, followed by toy contracts with Hasbro