Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss

After meeting at Harvard Business School, Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss co-founded Rent the Runway, a company that after only 2 years includes over 2 million members, 72 employees and 150 designer brands. Rent the Runway is a members-only online fashion community that builds customer loyalty for designer brands by enabling women to rent dresses and accessories for all the special occasions in their lives. As the "Netflix for fashion," Rent the Runway encourages women to live the life they dream today.

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February 15, 2012

How I Did It

Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, Founders of Rent the Runway

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In 2007, we met as sectionmates at Harvard Business School, where over frequent girls’ nights, we became fast friends. During a trip home for Thanksgiving, I (Jenn) witnessed my sister Becky struggle with a “closet full of clothes and nothing to wear” moment.

Becky had an upcoming wedding and wanted something gorgeous—an Hervé Léger maybe, or Proenza Schouler—but her modest salary meant that everything high-end was out of reach.

What if, I thought, the Beckys of this world could have access to their dream closet and a new dress for every occasion? What if designers were able to get their pieces into the hands of young, fashionable women and build an addiction for designer fashion?

Maria Shriver

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