RealReal's CEO is a lot better than you think

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When RealReal first filed to go public, many investors that were fond of the dotcom bubble era would remember the name Julie Wainwright. For those that don't know, Wainwright was the CEO of Pets.com, one of the iconic internet stocks that soared and collapsed during the dotcom bubble. 

Seeing that the CEO and founder of one of the most memorable corporate failures in America is leading a startup that's revolutionizing a second-hand luxury goods marketplace, along with the cash burn, many investors were skeptical about investing in RealReal. If you look at what Julie Wainwright has done after her failure at Pets.com, then you'll find her to be a better leader.

After Pets.com

As the dotcom bubble collapsed, the business world was in shatters. People have lost hope on technology and started looking for growth in other areas of the economy. With 9/11 gearing the country towards the War on Terror, people have been uptight. All of these negative sentiments after the dotcom bubble collapse didn't stop Julie Wainwright from creating fulfilling careers and great impacts at other businesses.

After the collapse of Pets.com, Wainwright became the Interim CEO of OTF, a business software and consulting company. According to her LinkedIn, Wainwright was involved with the restructuring of the company and helped the business return to profitability.

Then she accepted a CEO position at a consulting firm called OntheFrontier, which provides strategic consulting for emerging growth countries. After, she became CEO of a photo-editing software company called Bellamax and helped the company launch its first product. 

From there, she took nearly two years off and then became CEO of SmartNow.com, a health information startup. Near the end of her tenure at CEO of SmartNow, Wainwright created a consulting company that provided coaching to executives and entrepreneurs and helped entrepreneurs secure financing. 

While providing coaching and consulting services to various executives and entrepreneurs, in 2011, Wainwright found an opportunity to create a marketplace for second-hand luxury goods and created a company called RealReal. A few years later, Wainwright quit coaching other entrepreneurs and started focusing on RealReal full time. 

To sum it up

Julie Wainwright has accomplished a lot ever since her failure at Pets.com. Many see her tenure at Pets.com and at RealReal but haven't taken the time to look at what she has done between leaving Pets.com and starting RealReal. 

If there is one entrepreneur that I'd bet on, it would have to be Julie Wainwright. I do see Wainwright being an entrepreneur that wants to redeem herself and take another shot at not only entering the spotlight but also at making the world a better place.

However, investors will point out that RealReal still has an issue with detecting counterfeit products and issues with their finances. Seeing that Wainwright has helped OTF return to profitability, I do see Wainwright helping RealReal becoming profitable after investing heavily in expansion. Also, being keen on the fashion industry and maintaining product quality, I do see Wainwright being able to solve the counterfeit issue. 

Overall, I'm optimistic about Julie Wainwright's future and about her startup RealReal. I look forward to seeing it succeed in the present and in the future. Hopefully, investors will gain something from reading this blog post and realize that someone's past doesn't always have to define their future.