CATEGORIES

Diagnosis: The Scrubs Market Is Comatose. The Cure? Add Fashion And Function

Trina Spear first discovered the sleepy but lucrative scrubs market when she did a private equity deal for a large U.S. scrubs maker. Then a mutual friend introduced her to Heather Hasson, a fashion designer who was working on scrub designs that featured high-tech fabrics and trendy silhouettes. The two started Figs, the first e-commerce site to sell scrubs directly to consumers. They weren’t the only ones who saw a smart idea—early investors included Lululemon’s ex-CEO Christine Day and actor Will Smith. They expect revenue this year to top $100 million.

Finding Comfort In Their Own Skin

Sartorial frustration—and some encouragement from her wife, Naomi Gonzalez—drove Fran Dunaway to launch a clothing line for women with a masculine streak. But when the couple noticed that it was boxer briefs—not button-up shirts—that were flying off the shelves, they realized they had found their hero.

Introducing Inc.'s Founders Project

This year, Inc. is matching 40 aspiring founders with 40 experienced mentors. Meet the first pairing: Stonyfield Farm co-founder Gary Hirshberg and Wheyward Spirit founder Emily Darchuk.

Reliable Source

Jewel Burks Solomon launched Partpic, a startup that makes it easier to find industrial parts, in 2013, after she’d fielded one too many angry customer calls at a previous job. Soon, it was Amazon on the phone—with an acquisition offer.

Feeding Frenzy

The incredible true story of how poke became the hottest new food business—and the startups racing to dominate it.

How Hello Fresh Conquered America

HelloFresh blew past 100 competitors to become the No. 1 meal-kit company on the planet. The German startup is winning—but at what cost?

Make The Most Of Part Time Workers

They’re too often treated as stop gaps. But permanent part-timers can become a critical component in growing your company cost effectively.

How Do You Cut A Work Perk Without Hurting Morale?

Advice from the founders of America’s fastest-growing companies. 

Groupmuse - Bringing Chamber Musıc Out Of The Concert Hall—And Closer To Us.

Hearing an ensemble perform Beethoven’s Große Fuge, Op. 133, in a neighbor’s basement was so moving that Sam Bodkin pledged to expand listenership of chamber music.

A More Inclusive Clubhouse

A major scare led serial founder Sonny Caberwal to shift his focus to building community.

Signaling A Healthier Path

Livongo is taking on diabetes—and other chronic conditions—with data.

Can Any Company Be A Tech Company?

The profitable salad chain Sweetgreen was on track to IPO. So why did its founders decide to pivot to tech?

The New Hard Money

Hard money isn’t what is used to be. Case in point: Washington Capital Partners, a private hard money lender that couples real-life investing experience with cutting-edge technology and superior customer service.

How To Handle Your Customers's Data With Care...Or Else

Jon Hyman has spent a lot of time thinking about privacy.

100 Boldest, Most Innovative Female Founders

The 100 pioneers, empire-builders, movement makers, innovators, creatives, serial entrepreneurs, and geeks building the most exciting businesses in America.

A Splat-Tacular Start

CAN YOU TEACH KIDS HOW TO CODE DURING PLAY TIME? UNRULY SPLATS DO JUST THAT.

The Unlikely Business Of Being Brene`

The social worker’s research launched her into the ranks of leadership gurus. Running her own business has been a little more complicated.

The Benefits And Perks - Attracting America's Top Female Talent

Be flexible and creative and give the gift of time

Don't Break Up Big Tech

The platforms have been brutal to startups. But there’s a simpler fix.

How To Negotiate Like A Pro

The rent on your warehouse. The price of essential supplies. Your top salesperson’s salary. You constantly negotiate to grow your business. Yet no one can be an expert on all types of bargaining. We asked America’s top negotiating pros to share their haggling tips and strategies so you can ramp up your dealmaking game.

Meet The Queen Of Legal Weed

Can a 58-year-old former insurance executive build the first national marijuana brand? With these gummies, she just might.

If You Can Make It There

Forget New York City and San Francisco. The next great startup hub is

Delivering Dinner-And Keeping The Profit

Recently, Inc.’s legendary Norm Brodsky visited Michelle Gauthier and Justin Schwartz, founders of the thriving New York City–based fast-casual chain Mulberry & Vine. Mulberry & Vine has carved out a niche in a hotly competitive market with its healthy fare—but like many city-based restaurants, it faces challenges with rising costs and the advent of delivery services like Grubhub. Luckily, Norm was there to lend an ear—and weigh in.

Annotated Fishing For Profits

Four years ago, Jacqueline Claudia was working in the aquaculture industry, intending to become a fish farmer. Then she realized: No brand was cutting through the scary seafood-industry headlines and making it easy for consumers to buy responsibly farmed, nutrient- rich fish. Today, the gourmet frozen fillets of Boulder, Colorado– based Love the Wild—co-founded by Claudia and Christy Brouker—are in nearly 2,700 stores nationwide, including Super Target, Safeway, and Whole Foods.

A Place Where Dogging It Is The Company Policy

When Mychele Lord was looking for a new headquarters for Lord Green, her Dallas based, sustainable building consultancy, one determining factor was finding a spot that would accommodate seven of her most important team members. Not the 17 humans, but the seven canines that report to work with them regularly.

Getting Schooled In What's Important

EvoText doesn’t seem like a textbook example of a tech startup. Granted, its 40 full-time employees enjoy great benefits, a liberal time-off policy, and many of the other perks of techdom. But what sets EvoText apart are some of the things not on the menu. It’s a company of computer geeks designing software for teachers to interact with students and dynamically implement curricula—and yet there’s not a foosball or Ping-Pong table in sight.

Beat The House

Buying a home in the digital age requires weeks of navigating the mortgage maze. These tech-savvy entrepreneurs speed things up—but should they?

The Serious Guy Behind Dollar Shave Club's Crazy Viral Videos

NDA has been training its gun on Grand Alliance in Bihar over the spate of killings in the state. However, the reality is far different. Kanhaiya Bhelari reports

Inside the Vicious, Vicious Cheerleader Wars

Rebel Athletic is fighting a spangled, appliqued fashion-forward guerrilla war against an industry giant.

How I Got the Idea for My Startup

As the former director of business development at Foursquare and entrepreneur-in-residence at Andreessen Horowitz, Tristan Walker knew he could get people to invest in his company—if he came up with the right idea. He went through hundreds of concepts, from trucking to financial services, before landing on a subscription model for grooming products for people of color. He founded Walker and Company in 2013.