Rent the Runway Founder Jenn Hyman Takes Over $1 Billion Revenue Babylist as CEO

Jenn Hyman, who co-founded and took Rent the Runway public before stepping down, is now taking over Babylist as CEO, effective September 9. Natalie Gordon, who built Babylist from a quiet Amazon software engineer background to a $1 billion revenue company, will transition to executive chair. The two founders, who rose in parallel but with vastly different paths, are now uniting their forces. Rent the Runway, a pioneer in clothing rental, faced pandemic challenges and a 80% stock drop post-IPO, while Babylist quietly became the go-to platform for new parents. Babylist's threefold revenue growth over Rent the Runway's $330 million shows its dominance. Hyman will lead a company with 600 remote employees and expanded offerings like Babylist Health and Babylist Money. Gordon will focus on AI strategy. Hyman sees M&A opportunities beyond e-commerce.

The transition highlights the power of founder-led companies evolving without losing their essence, and the first major CEO swap between female entrepreneurs. This move underscores the resilience needed to navigate business cycles, from Rent the Runway's peak to Babylist's current success.