As an early investor in Dollar Shave Club, I spoke with CEO Michael Dubin about the company’s acquisition by Unilever and the journey to this point on the latest episode of Venrock’s podcast, Running Through Walls.
Many people remember the humorous viral video that first launched the company. “I was freaked out that maybe we wouldn’t recover from our success,” says Dubin, after the site crashed thanks to the video’s unanticipated popularity.
The company did recover, and Dubin went on to build one of the most recognizable brands in men’s grooming. He knew he had a hit when he visited a distribution center and saw the volume of packages on the conveyer belt, bringing to life how many people interact with the company daily. He says, “Three percent of Americans wake up and engage with Dollar Shave Club.”
Dubin took improv classes early in his career, and humor has long played a role in the culture of DSC. He’s even adapted some lessons from improv to the role of CEO: “When you’re on stage with no script, it teaches you to live in a scary moment and still perform, which is great training for a young company.”
Following the acquisition, Dubin will stay on as CEO, and it will be “business as usual” at DSC with a focus on launching new products and expanding internationally. Dubin cites “Unilever’s position as one of the most progressive and innovative CPG companies in the world” as the reason the company is a good fit for DSC.
Dubin hopes that five years down the road, “We’ve been able to meaningfully change the way people think about shopping on the internet.”