Mike Rockefeller and Neetu Dhaliwal of Woodline Partners sit down with Joe Kudla, founder and CEO of Vuori, at the company’s headquarters in Carlsbad. Kudla traces Vuori’s path from an Encinitas garage to more than 100 stores worldwide. He explains how an obsession with fabric, a deep commitment to community, and the discipline to grow on free cash flow built a global performance apparel brand.
Joe Kudla, founder and CEO of Vuori, joins inSpired to share how he turned a garage startup in Encinitas into a global performance apparel brand. Vuori launched with just $400,000 in outside capital and was profitable two years in. It has been built on its own free cash flow ever since, and it now has more than 100 stores and a plan to reach 300 by 2030.
In this episode:
How a test in 10 REI stores proved Vuori was onto something, outselling brands like Nike in the category
Why pivoting to direct to consumer and hosting community events shaped the brand
Why Vuori starts every product with the fabric, and the balance of performance, versatility, and comfort behind “built to move in, styled for life”
How Vuori grew from a men’s brand into women’s, starting with one pant and one hoodie in 2018
Who the Vuori customer is, and how the brand protects full price selling and avoids dilution as it scales
Partnerships with Jack Draper, Tom Holland, Cindy Crawford, and Kaia Gerber
The road to 300 stores, the opportunity in China, and navigating tariffs with supply chain partners
Why Kudla, a CPA by training, believes financial discipline is what makes a brand durable
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
2:00 From an Encinitas garage to REI
8:56 Going direct and building community
12:08 Why fabric comes first
19:58 Knowing the customer, protecting the brand
26:35 From men’s to women’s
29:48 Partnerships and scaling to 300 stores
41:51 Marketing, brand equity, and real world experiences
47:05 Industry lessons, margins, and what inspires Joe
inSpired is for investors, by an investor: conversations with executives building tomorrow’s great companies.
Mike Rockefeller of Woodline Partners sits down with Dr. Leonard Schleifer, founder, President & CEO of Regeneron. Schleifer reflects on 38 years leading the company alongside Dr. George Yancopoulos: 25 years of losses, the approval of EYLEA, treating President Trump for COVID, and building Dupixent into one of the top drugs in the history of the industry. He also makes the case that investors are overlooking a pipeline of more than 50 clinical programs.
Dr. Leonard Schleifer, founder, President & CEO of Regeneron, joins inSpired to share how a young neurologist built one of the largest companies in the S&P 500 still run by its founders. His mentor had called the idea the stupidest he’d ever heard. Nearly four decades later, Schleifer and Dr. George Yancopoulos are still in the same roles, and Regeneron has more than 50 programs in the clinic and about $18 billion in the bank.
In this episode:
How Regeneron started in 1988 with $1 million and a plan to regenerate neurons, and how Schleifer recruited Dr. George Yancopoulos
Why Regeneron refused to bet the company on a single molecule through 25 straight years of losses
The EYLEA approval and a first year of $800 million in sales
The inside story of treating President Trump with Regeneron’s COVID antibody cocktail
Dupixent’s growth across nine indications, and the next generation of type 2 immunology, including an effort to cure allergy
The pipeline Schleifer says gets no credit: an obesity drug that also lowers cholesterol, Lynozyfic in multiple myeloma, Factor XI anticoagulants, and the C5 franchise
The Regeneron Genetics Center, AI in drug discovery, and a gene therapy that lets children born with profound deafness hear, given away for free
Regeneron’s approach to M&A, succession, and Schleifer’s advice for the next founder
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
1:49 Founding Regeneron in 1988
8:04 Working with Dr. George Yancopoulos
11:44 Top moments and the EYLEA approval
15:05 Treating President Trump for COVID
19:22 EYLEA and EYLEA HD today
20:18 Dupixent and the type 2 franchise
23:20 Next generation immunology
29:39 Obesity: a GLP that lowers cholesterol
33:42 Lynozyfic in multiple myeloma
34:50 Factor XI anticoagulation
39:46 The C5 franchise
42:48 The Regeneron Genetics Center
48:06 Curing genetic deafness
50:03 AI in drug discovery
52:17 M&A philosophy
55:47 Succession and advice for the next Len
inSpired is for investors, by an investor: conversations with executives building tomorrow’s great companies.
Mike Rockefeller, Co-Chief Investment Officer of Woodline, manager of the Woodline | Spire funds, sits down with executives building tomorrow’s great companies. Candid, strategic conversations. For investors, by an investor. This is inSpired.
Mike Rockefeller and Ben Rosen of Woodline Partners sit down with Kevin Hochman, President & CEO of Brinker International, in Dallas. Hochman traces the Chili’s turnaround from leaky roofs to 71% sales growth, and explains how a relentless focus on food, service, and atmosphere won over Gen Z and made Chili’s the number one casual dining brand in America by traffic.
Kevin Hochman, President & CEO of Brinker International, joins inSpired to share how he led one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the restaurant industry. Since joining Brinker in 2022, he has grown Chili’s sales 71% without opening a single new restaurant. Along the way he brought a brand more than 50 years old to a new generation, with Gen Z now a quarter of its guests.
In this episode:
Why Hochman stopped debating the right thing and focused on how to get it done, a lesson from Procter & Gamble and KFC
How the Triple Dipper went viral, and why Chili’s kept those new guests when most viral brands lose them
Better Than Fast Food: the Big Smasher, Big QP, Big Crispy, and the $10.99 meal
Owning burgers, chicken, Tex Mex, and margaritas, and how Chili’s became the top margarita seller in the world
Why Chili’s added 30,000 team members while competitors cut labor with automation
The $600,000 pickle, and how cutting 29% of the menu expanded margins
What the North of Six restaurants teach about staffing, throughput, and great general managers
Why the strong keep getting stronger as the economy softens
“We’re laser focused on what matters, and anything that doesn’t matter is our enemy.”
“Get a superior product, market it like crazy, and you’re going to win in the long term.”
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
1:57 What Kevin inherited at Chili’s
5:16 Lessons from P&G and KFC
9:57 How Chili’s won Gen Z
24:36 Majoring in major segments
43:05 Better than fast food
49:18 Holding the $10.99 line
57:34 The North of Six playbook
1:11:34 Built to win in any economy
1:22:13 What inspires Kevin
Read the full transcript: Download the PDF
inSpired is for investors, by an investor: conversations with executives building tomorrow’s great companies.