TECHdotMN: News about Minnesota Startups

Special thanks to CartStack for underwriting the new “E-commerce exploration” series.
 

What is the name of the company and what do you retail online?

DefySupply, we have a selection of 4,600+ furniture items, all produced on-demand, from leading global manufacturers.

When was your company founded and by whom?

Founded by myself, Brent Gensler, in April 2008.

What was impetus to start Defy Supply?

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Inc., the publication “written for the people who run growing companies” recently released it’s annual ranking list of the country’s top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies with an emphasis on the top 10 percent of the list — the ‘Inc. 500.

“In 1982, Inc. introduced the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. Since then, this prestigious list of the nation’s most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success and the place where future household names first make their mark.

Today, the list is a distinguished editorial award, a celebration of innovation, a network of entrepreneurial leaders, and an effective public relations showcase. The Inc. 500|5000 ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period.”

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Brent Gensler began traveling to China at age 19 to explore new fabric manufacturers for his parents’ upholstery business, which has been in the family since 1950.   A few years down the road and fresh off a business degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Brent started going back to China…only this time it was to scout manufacturers for his own company.

In April of 2008, Brent launched Defy Supply — an e-commerce company headquartered in Minneapolis which sells furniture directly from Chinese manufacturers  to customers across North America.  “Throughout my experiences, I realized just how many middlemen are between the original manufacturer and the end customer,” he says. “Our company basically defies that traditional supply-chain using an e-commerce model.”

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