008. She Built 5 Companies & Exited 3 | Divya Gugnani on First Customers, Pricing & the Exit

Welcome back to STACKED, the show about becoming your own best asset.In this week’s live filming at our STACKED IRL event Emily goes from banking to beauty empire with Divya Gugnani, serial founder, investor, and mentor behind five companies, three exits, and one of the most honest founder stories you will hear this year. She started at Goldman Sachs from Cornell without being on their recruit list, moved into private equity and venture, backing Shopify and Pinterest before most people knew what either of them were and eventually became the accidental entrepreneur who built Wander Beauty with a supermodel she met at a party, grew it to 40+ awards and global distribution, and sold it. Her latest venture is 5 SENS, a fragrance brand built entirely around mood.This is the founder playbook in real life! The good decisions, the ones she'd take back, and the frameworks she actually uses.Key Topics CoveredFrom Cornell to Goldman without being on their recruit listWhy she took the lowest-paying offer of the five she hadThe lesson from Goldman she built every company aroundWhy the best founders never planned to be foundersThe 100-woman survey that built Wander BeautyThe gold under-eye patches — born in Korea, rejected by Sephora, tens of millions in salesStaying close to the customer no matter how big you getThe mindset shift that happened by company threeEarly investor in Shopify and Pinterest — why it's always the peopleAI as co-founder copilot for 5 SENS brand voiceHow to pick a co-founder and what makes the partnership lastThe New York to Tokyo hiring testThe bad hire, the apology, and how fast culture changedThe double standard that calls confident women aggressiveImposter syndrome and putting the customer before the personal brandLightning round: D2C, hero SKUs, creator seeding, raise prices or shrink the packTimestamps00:00 — Welcome + introducing Divya Gugnani01:33 — Childhood: Springfield to New York, shy Indian girl, parents between Delhi and New York02:18 — Cornell, government & economics, nearly became a lawyer03:02 — Landing Goldman: 4 offers, 24 Saturday interviews, lowest-paying, and why she took it04:32 — There's no 'I' in Goldman — the lesson behind every company name05:00 — Investcorp → FirstMark → accidental entrepreneur06:14 — The best businesses come from personal problems07:36 — Wander Beauty: the 100-woman survey aged 18 to 7210:12 — The gold under-eye patches — coffee for your face13:36 — Sephora said no. She said yes. Tens of millions followed.15:51 — Building vs. backing: the operator-to-investor mindset shift17:06 — Company three unlock: hire the best, get out of their way18:08 — Early Shopify and Pinterest investor 19:17 — Training AI on 5 SENS brand voice20:21 — Co-founder framework: complementary skills, clear lanes, trust21:00 — Meeting Lindsay Ellingson at a party, 10 years together22:51 — Two ears, one mouth — the leadership rule from her mom24:06 — Hire slowly, fire quickly 28:07 — The assumptions people still make about women founders31:13 — Imposter syndrome, community over personal brand, lightning roundNEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY AT 7AM EST. Subscribe so you never miss one.TagsDivya Gugnani, Wander Beauty, 5 SENS, Concept2Co, serial founder, beauty entrepreneur, Goldman Sachs, Cornell, women founders, startup advice, co-founder advice, D2C beauty, first 100 customers, pricing strategy, STACKED podcast, Brickell Babes, female founders, imposter syndrome, women in business, how to build a brandDisclaimerDisclaimer. The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors or medical professional concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.