GETTING TO KNOW Tristan Walker, Founder of Walker and Company To entrepreneur Tristan Walker, one of the most frustrating parts of his daily life was finding the right razor for his coarse, curly facial hair. He could not find a razor that would not chafe his face. Every time I went in (the store), I'd say, 'I'm a black man, I have to deal with this razor-bump issue, what should I use?"" said Walker. And every single time, they'd suggest these off-brand safety razors." Besides failing to find the razor he needed, Walker also couldn't believe that companies would ignore such a large section of the market. "What frustrated me was how much money this demographic spends," said Walker. This isn't a niche opportunity." So rather than wait for someone else to address the issue, he started Walker and Company, which he hopes will become Procter & Gamble for people of color." Walker is building a brand around Bevel, an online shaving subscription service targeted at black men. Unlike other major shaving brands that use multiple blades for their razors, Bevel sticks to a single-blade system that helps prevent bumps. Walker raised $24 million in funding from such investors as Nas, Magic Johnson, Andre Igoudala, and John Legend. While the Bevel product line was launched online, Walker recently negotiated a deal to sell his products in Target stores. His products are now sold in 14 countries and enjoy a 95 percent customer- loyalty rate. Of course, launching such an ambitious project isn't easy. In order to realize his vision, Walker needed plenty of hard work, expertise, and connections. Fortunately, the years he spent in Silicon Valley, the famed California tech hub, prepared him for the challenge. He worked for some of the tech industry's most powerful companies. Today Walker sees his company as more of a tech firm than a health product a company. As you'll see over time as we launch new brands, you'll see even more science, you'll see even more technology, you'll see even more product efficacy, said Walker. When he was younger, Walker had never even heard of Silicon Valley. Walker grew up on the other side of the country in a rough part of Queens in New York City. When he was four years old his dad was shot and killed, leaving Walker's older brother to fill in as a father figure. After his brother encouraged Walker to become an athlete, he joined the Boy's Club and started to excel. A basketball coach suggested that he apply to an elite boarding school. Walker took his advice and received a full scholarship to the prestigious Hotchkiss School. This led to his enrollment at Stony Brook University where he earned a degree in economics. Walker's drive and superb educational background landed him a job on Wall Street after graduation. However, he quickly grew tired of the hectic pace of the financial industry, leading him to look for business graduate schools far out of state. I applied to Stanford because it was ... the farthest school away from Wall Street," said Walker. After graduating in 2008 he joined the newly launched location-based search company Foursquare. Although Walker made only a $1,000 stipend for his first months as head of business development, he played a vital role in expanding the company through partnerships with other brands. When he left Foursquare in 2012, he joined Andreessen-Horowitz as the venture capital firm's "entrepreneur-in-residence." This gave him the resources to develop and launch Walker and Company a few years later. Along with his entrepreneurial ventures, Walker also founded the non-profit organization Code 2040 to give support to minorities hoping to build careers in tech. He hails America's increasingly diverse population as "the greatest economic opportunity of my lifetime. There's an inevitability to this, and I think some of the greatest companies that will be built in the next 50 years will keep that in mind." Entrepreneurs like Tristan Walker take big risks in order to reap big rewards. As you know about such risk takers, maybe you'll be inspired to become an entrepreneur yourself. Discussion Questions 1. Describe the circumstances that led Tristan Walker to pursue his entrepreneurial career? 2. Based on what reality check Tristan was confident that Walker and Company will become a "Procter & Gamble for people of color"? 3. Describe how Tristan was able to convince the investors to help him pursue his business idea? 4. Describe what challenges Walker faced, and how his past technology experience helped him achieve his goals? 5. Describe Walker's family circumstances out of which he made his way up? 6. Describe Walker's educational pursuit, graduation from Stanford, and a job in Foursquare? 7. Describe Walker's networking strategy that gave him the resources to develop his own company? 8. In what ways Tristan Walker inspired you to be your own boss one day