Ariel Kaye (Parachute) on Getting D2C Right, Building Customer Trust and Selling Out of Product Without Becoming a Sellout

Today, Sammi is joined by Ariel Kaye, the founder of Parachute—the cult-favorite home essentials brand that helped define the direct-to-consumer movement. Ariel shares the real story behind Parachute’s early days: from bootstrapping her first launch to navigating funding rounds, managing growing pains, and expanding from digital to retail. She opens up about the emotional toll of solo entrepreneurship, the importance of mentorship, and how she kept her business grounded in customer experience—even during the chaos of COVID. Plus, Ariel reveals how she thinks about growth today, the pressures of staying independent, and why having options—not obligations—is the real founder flex. Follow Sammi on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Follow Parachute Here’s what Sammi covers today with Ariel: 00:00 Ariel Kaye’s Social Currency 02:49 Early Customer Research and Product Iterations 07:53 Launch Mode: The First Products, First Wins 11:20 Fundraising Without Losing Focus 15:32 What Early Growth Looked Like 17:39 Why Parachute Went IRL With Brick-and-Mortar 21:44 COVID Curveballs 24:19 Building a Full Lifestyle Brand 27:35 Making Marketing Personal 31:32 How Ariel Earns Customer Trust 39:47 The Emotional Side of Building Solo 42:02 How to Show Social Currency Some Love All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. *APY as of 6/30/25, offered by Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Rate subject to change. See terms of IRA Match Program here: public.com/disclosures/ira-match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices