Tristan Walker (entrepreneur)

Tristan Walker is an American founder and CEO, most notable for starting Walker & Company in 2013, which was purchased by Procter & Gamble. In addition to being CEO of Walker & Company, Walker is a board member for Shake Shack and Foot Locker.[1][2] He also co-founded the non-profit CODE2040, which helps connect people of color with engineering internships.[3]

Early life and education

Walker grew up in Queens, NY with his mother and older brother. His father was killed when he was 3 years old, and wanting a safe future for her children, Walker's mother encouraged her children to do well in school, and was disciplined about their free time after school.[4] Walker was awarded a scholarship to board and attend the elite Hotchkiss School, graduating in 2002.[5] He studied economics at SUNY Stony Brook, and graduated in 2005. Between his first and second year at University, Walker was offered an internship at Lehman Brothers in their back office, and eventually was able to observe their trading desks. On graduation, Walker was employed as a trader for Lehman Brothers. In January 2008 Walker was laid off from his trading position at  J.P. Morgan.[6] [7], the same year he went to Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Career

Walker interned at Twitter and Boston Consulting Group, before working at Foursquare as the third employee and director of business development.[8]

In 2012, Walker was the Entrepreneur-in-residence at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.[9] While there, he co-founded CODE2040 and Walker & Co.

Walker & Co. is the parent company of Bevel, a men's grooming brand whose flagship product was a single blade razor and electric trimmer. Bevel expanded into what Vibe called "a full-fledged beauty and skincare company for men."[10] The health and hygiene company was founded with people of color as the target audience.[11][12]

By 2015, Walker had raised a total of $33.3 million dollars for Walker & Co and board members included Magic Johnson, John Legend and Andre Iguodala.[13] Walker was nominated for Founder of the Year by TechCrunch in 2015 and in 2016 TechCrunch wrote "Walker is becoming, if he’s not already, a household name in Silicon Valley".[14][15]

In 2018, Walker & Co. sold to Procter & Gamble for an undisclosed amount.[16]

Accolades

Fast Company called Walker in a profile: "[a] bold entrepreneur with a radical startup."[17] The New York Times said that Walker "built a company for the demographic future."[18] Fortune named him #19 in a list of the world's 50 greatest leaders in 2019.[19] USA Today called Walker "the highest-profile African-American CEO and founder in Silicon Valley."[20] Selected as Time's 100 Next, Time wrote that Walker "wants to build more than a company; he wants to build a legacy."[21]

Personal life

Walker has a wife and two sons.[22][23]

References
  1. "Tristan Walker | Board Member | Foot Locker, Inc". investors.footlocker-inc.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  2. Perkins, Njera (2020-06-19). "Bevel's Tristan Walker Joins Shake Shack's Board of Directors". AfroTech. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  3. "Meet The Man Who Wants To Diversify Silicon Valley By 2040". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  4. "How I Built This". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  5. "How Did I Get Here? Tristan Walker". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  6. "The Face Of America Is Changing. CEO Tristan Walker Says Brands Need To Respect And Respond To That". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  7. "How I Built This". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  8. Guynn, Jessica. "Tristan Walker's inspiring journey to Silicon Valley". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  9. Gillies, Trent (2015-03-14). "Tristan Walker aims to change the world—starting with razors". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  10. III, William E. Ketchum (2020-02-11). "Bevel CEO Tristan Walker Talks Growth, Regrets, And Combat Jack". VIBE.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  11. "15 Questions with Tristan J. Walker". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  12. Wolfe, Alexandra (2015-12-18). "Tristan Walker: A New Approach to Personal Care Products". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  13. "Walker & Company Brands Raises $24M Series B, Inks Bevel Deal With Target". TechCrunch. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  14. "Meet The People Vying For The Founder Of The Year Crunchie For 2015". TechCrunch. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  15. "Bullish with Tristan Walker, CEO of Walker & Company Brands". TechCrunch. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  16. Rey, Jason Del (2018-12-12). "Procter & Gamble has acquired the startup aiming to build the Procter & Gamble for people of color". Vox. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  17. McCorvey, J. J. (2014-11-11). "Tristan Walker: The Visible Man". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  18. Gelles, David (2018-12-12). "Tristan Walker on the Roman Empire and Selling a Start-Up to Procter & Gamble". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  19. "Tristan Walker". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  20. Guynn, Jessica. "Tristan Walker's inspiring journey to Silicon Valley". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  21. "TIME 100 Next 2019: Tristan Walker". Time. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  22. "15 Questions with Tristan J. Walker". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  23. McCorvey, J. J. (2014-11-11). "Tristan Walker: The Visible Man". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
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