15
That was the easier part. The next? Not so
much.
Already in her mid-fifties by this time,
Wainwright bravely sought venture capitalists
in male-dominated Silicon Valley, pitching
to 20-30 -something men at the helm of the
Pets.com meltdown, which just added fuel to
an already-growing fire. “It was really, really
hard. I didn’t have success until I reached a
woman.” Imagine that.
Eventually, the mid-life fervent fashion
entrepreneur was able to procure the
capital she so ardently sought, and to the
fashionable tune of $173 million! The capital
came from a total of 22 investors during
seven rounds of grueling fundraising. So,
since that awful day way back in November
2000, it’s pretty safe to say Wainwright
has since made a major career comeback.
“Failure is ultimately liberating. Once you
come out the other side, you might have
faced one of your biggest fears and lived to
tell it...That's an amazing gift."