Julie Wainwright

Entrepreneur, E-Commerce Pioneer & Brand Management Expert

Travels From Travels From:
San Francisco, CA, USA
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Julie Wainwright Biography

Julie Wainwright is the CEO and co-founder of Ahara, the only food-first personalized nutrition company that translates clinically validated science into practical and precise nutrition for optimal health. She founded The RealReal in 2011, bringing luxury consignment online and into the modern world with a digital marketplace for authenticated luxury goods. When Wainwright took The RealReal public in 2019, she became the 23rd woman in history to found and lead a company to an IPO. She is also the author of "Time to Get Real," a memoir about her entrepreneurial journey creating The RealReal, which shares the lessons, triumphs, and setbacks she faced along the way.

She has received several prestigious industry awards and accolades from Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, CNBC, Inc. Magazine, Business of Fashion, and more. She was recently selected by Forbes for their inaugural 50 Successful Women Over 50 list and was celebrated on the cover of Forbes Magazine in June 2021.

Along with being a sought-after speaker, Wainwright serves as an advisor to Purdue University’s Fashion Tech Lab and the Krannert School of Management and actively supports local and national nonprofits that focus on entrepreneurship, education, the arts, sustainability, and animal welfare.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/10/2025.

Julie Wainwright Speaking Topics

  • The Power of Failure

    In this captivating keynote speech, Julie Wainwright delves into the transformative power of failure. Drawing from her own experiences in the business world, Wainwright shares invaluable insights on how failure can be a catalyst for growth, innovation, and ultimately, success.

    With the wealth of knowledge gained from her impressive career, Julie explores the importance of embracing failure as a necessary stepping stone toward achieving greatness. She highlights how failures can provide invaluable lessons, fuel resilience, and ignite the entrepreneurial spirit within individuals and organizations.

    Through captivating storytelling and real-life examples, Wainwright inspires audiences to shift their perspective on failure. She challenges conventional notions of success and encourages attendees to view setbacks as opportunities for learning and personal development. By reframing failure as a powerful tool rather than a source of shame or disappointment, Julie empowers individuals to take risks, push boundaries, and unlock their full potential.

    Explore The Power of Failure and discover how embracing setbacks can lead to unparalleled success in the ever-evolving world of business by hiring Julie Wainwright today.

  • Collaboration, Creativity, & Cause: Building A Culture and Getting Results

    In this keynote, Julie Wainwright teaches audiences how to build a culture that not only supports your business performance but improves it.

    During her career as a C-suite executive, Julie has seen some companies crumble and others achieve tremendous success. With that extensive experience, comes years of insights into what separated these high-performance cultures.

    Attendees will leave this keynote speech with a deeper understanding of the importance of building a culture that encourages collaboration, creativity, and cause within their organizations. Specifically, they will gain practical strategies for empowering employees, fostering innovation, and aligning company & employee values. Ultimately, they will be inspired to create positive change within their company and drive meaningful business results.

  • Think You Want to Start a Company? Here’s What You Need to Know

    In this engaging and informative keynote speech, Julie Wainwright provides invaluable advice and practical tips to navigate the challenging world of entrepreneurship.

    Drawing from her journey as the founder and CEO of multiple successful companies, including The RealReal and Ahara, Julie delves into the key factors that contribute to success. She also addresses the common challenges and pitfalls that entrepreneurs often face and offers strategies for overcoming them. From managing finances and securing funding to marketing and branding strategies, attendees will gain invaluable insights from a career entrepreneur.

    Attendees can expect to leave this keynote speech feeling motivated, informed, and equipped with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality. Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this keynote is a must-attend event for anyone looking to succeed in business.

  • Thinking Big

    At one of the lowest moments of her life, Julie Wainwright faced two devastating blows in a single day—her husband woke her at 4 a.m. to ask for a divorce, and hours later, she had to shut down Pets.com, one of the first major e-commerce ventures. Soon after, a top Silicon Valley recruiter dismissed her as “unemployable.”

    With her personal and professional life in crisis, Julie had a choice: let others define her future or take control and redefine herself. She chose the latter. Out of that defining moment, she built The RealReal, a revolutionary luxury resale marketplace that transformed the fashion industry.

    In this keynote, Julie shares the pivotal lessons she learned about resilience, reinvention, and thinking beyond conventional limits. Her story is a powerful testament to overcoming adversity, embracing risk, and building something extraordinary when the world tells you it’s impossible.

  • Fireside Chat: Reinvention, Resilience, and the Future of Consumer Tech

    From launching and scaling billion-dollar businesses and taking it public

    • one of only 23 women to ever have done so

    • to navigating personal and professional setbacks, serial tech entrepreneur Julie Wainwright has earned her spot on the inaugural Forbes 50 over 50 list. In this candid session, Julie sits down to share her unfiltered journey and offer actionable insights for founders looking to:

    • Transform Setbacks into Success: Learn when to pivot and rebuild in a tech-driven landscape, turning challenges into opportunities for innovation.
    • Build Scalable Consumer Trust: Learn what works (and what doesn’t) when creating a brand that resonates globally.
    • Master Strategic Fundraising: Discover what investors are really looking for and how to make your startup stand out.
    • Select the Right Board and Investors: Gain insights on choosing the optimal advisors and backers to support your growth / vision at every stage.

Julie Wainwright Videos

  • The RealReal Founder & CEO Julie Wainwright
  • The first billion dollar circular economy company? 2018 Summit
  • Julie Wainwright talks about how she founded The Realreal
    Meet Krannert alumna and entrepreneur Julie Wainwright and learn how she started the RealReal, an online consignment retailer of luxury items that...

Julie Wainwright Books

  • Time to Get Real: How I Built a Billion-Dollar Business that Rocked the Fashion Industry
    Time to Get Real: How I Built a Billion-Dollar Business that Rocked the Fashion Industry
  • ReBoot: My Five Life-Changing Mistakes and How I Have Moved On
    ReBoot: My Five Life-Changing Mistakes and How I Have Moved On

FAQs on booking Julie Wainwright

  • How do I book Julie Wainwright to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Julie Wainwright for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Julie Wainwright, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Julie Wainwright or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Julie Wainwright

    Speaking fees for Julie Wainwright, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Julie Wainwright are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Julie Wainwright, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Julie Wainwright speak about?

    Julie Wainwright is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Business, Computer Science, Creativity, E-Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Executive Leadership, Inspirational, Leadership, Overcoming Adversity, Resilience, Retail, Technology, Women in Business.
  • Where does Julie Wainwright travel from?

    Julie Wainwright generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Julie Wainwright’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Julie Wainwright for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Julie Wainwright for your next private or corporate function.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Julie Wainwright is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The Power of Failure, Collaboration, Creativity, & Cause: Building A Culture and Getting Results, Think You Want to Start a Company? Here’s What You Need to Know, Thinking Big and Fireside Chat: Reinvention, Resilience, and the Future of Consumer Tech. The estimated speaking fee range to book Julie Wainwright for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Julie Wainwright generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Lori Cheek, Debbie Sterling, Jennifer Hyman, Nicole Yeary and Kathy Ireland. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Julie Wainwright for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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