Jules Pieri: How We Make Stuff Now
Jules Pieri (BFA 1982) recently wrote and published her first book, How We Make Stuff Now. Drawing from her own entrepreneurial experiences as well as insight from hundreds of companies, Pieri created this book as a DIY step-by-step guide for aspiring entrepreneurs. She covers topics ranging from creating and launching new products, to packaging and marketing to consumers, to building a thriving business. As cofounder and CEO of The Grommet, a product launch platform that helps innovative products reach a community of millions, Pieri is well-versed in the ins and outs of the entrepreneurship industry.
In this book, Pieri also touches upon the importance of University Startup Labs and other Maker Spaces to the development of future entrepreneurs. As a Detroit native, she has seen firsthand the impact these spaces can have on under-resourced communities; as she notes in How We Make Stuff Now, “I grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Detroit and would never have imagine my alma mater, the University of Michigan, having a facility in my neighborhood. Yet, it is partnering with Detroit Public Schools to create the Brightmoor Maker Space as a give-back activity to help one of the most impoverished areas of the Motor City.”
Pieri gained her MBA from Harvard following her graduation from Stamps. Prior to founding The Grommet in 2008, Pieri started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and was an executive at Keds, Stride Rite, and Playskool. The Grommet is her third startup, as she also previously served as the VP of Continuum and President of Ziggs. She was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013 and one of Goldman Sachs’s 100 Most Interesting Entrepreneurs in 2014. Pieri is also an Entrepreneur in Residence Emeritus at Harvard Business School, a member at G20 Ventures, and an investing partner at Factor Ventures.
How We Make Stuff Now can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers. For more information on Pieri, visit thegrommet.com.