Niraj Shah is a leader who personifies entrepreneurial spirit and savvy. As co-founder, CEO and Co-Chairman of Wayfair, one of the world’s largest e-commerce home goods retailers, he has piloted the company through decades of incredible growth and innovation. Shah recently shared insights gained on his rise to entrepreneurial success as part of the W. L. Mellon Speaker Series.
In this video, Shah describes founding his first venture fresh out of college, launching an IT consulting business with dorm hallmate Steve Conine during the early days of the internet. Two companies later, the partners were exploring their next endeavor. After the dot com crash of 2000, headlines were declaring the failure of e-commerce. Shah and Conine, however, noticed the many profitable e-commerce companies for sale, and set about targeting an opportune niche selling TV and speaker stands.