Founder Friday: Randi Bushell, Founder & CEO of Merri
Issue #15
Founder Friday is a content series from SuperAngel.Fund highlighting companies in our portfolio and the inspiring founders behind them.
In our 15th edition, we are featuring Randi Bushell, Founder & CEO of Merri, an operating system for the events industry.
For anybody who has had to plan a big event, you know how many challenges come with the process. From managing all the different stakeholders, to navigating costs, and of course keeping your own emotions in check, there is often little transparency for how it’s all going to turn out until the day of. Planning for events (whether it be a wedding, non-profit gala, annual meeting, or brand activation) has traditionally been a manual experience…until now!
Merri has created a first-of-its kind interactive 3D interface that brings venues, vendors and hosts onto a single platform—streamlining all the decision making and coordination, from venue selection, centerpiece designs, to the menu. You can even create your own vision board from floor to ceiling, select from their collection of more than 30,000+ furniture rentals, linens, lighting, florals, and décor options. Where planners used to use a hodgepodge combination of Excel, PowerPoint, Canva, Pinterest and out-of-date floor planning tools, Merri solves this disjointed experience by combining all the logistical, inspirational, and transactional elements onto a single space allowing you to design, visualize and plan your perfect day.
Randi spent a decade in eCommerce, most recently at Jet.com, then Walmart post acquisition, before being inspired to launch Merri after dealing with all the challenges of planning her own wedding. Her experience and leadership is just one reason why the company has taken off, growing to over 1,000+ venues across the US and Canada, becoming a critical piece to the puzzle for venues, event planners, and event hosts alike.
Describe your company in 5 words or less.
Randi: Design, plan, and book events.
What was your primary motivation for starting your business?
Randi: While planning my wedding, I saw a huge opportunity to create a new marketplace model for high value, high touch purchases (like events) that uses 3D visualization to facilitate key decisions and transactions. It boggled my mind that I was spending so much time and money on decisions that were inherently connected (e.g., how the furniture and décor would look/fit within the venue), but all of the information and processes were disconnected and riddled with the friction of moving from offline to online.
What piece of advice would you give an entrepreneur starting a business today?
Randi: Do less. Focus on what makes you unique and build around that.
What do you love to do in your free time?
Randi: Everything and anything with my cavapoo, Lucy.
What is your favorite app or tool in your work life and in your personal life?
Randi: Nothing groundbreaking here, but my calendar runs my life, both personally and professionally. If it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist.
What do you believe is the most important skill or attribute of a successful founder?
Randi: Resilience. Who would have thought that 6 months into starting an event-tech company we’d have to navigate a global pandemic that forbid people from doing the very thing our product was built to do? As a Founder, you’re tested with countless micro and macro challenges, but there’s always a path forward. You just have to keep finding it.
SuperAngel.Fund is an early stage fund that invests in Consumer, PropTech & Future of Work. The fund is led by Ben Zises who was the first investor and founding advisor to quip, Caraway & Arber. You can learn more at SuperAngel.Fund.
