Founder Spotlight: Elle Smyth
Elle Smyth, Co-Founder and CEO of RetailReady, embodies the spirit of technical innovation and entrepreneurship fostered here at Duke University. In our conversation, she shared her journey from mechanical engineering student to startup founder and how that showcases the power of Duke’s ecosystem, as well as her personal fortitude in breaking the mold with Co-Founder, Sarah Hamer.
During her time at Duke, Elle pursued the Innovation & Entrepreneurship certificate alongside her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree. She credits this combination for “giving as close to real world experience as you can get” and her holistic approach to product development: “In my engineering coursework I understood how to build something. And then through the I&E program, I really understood, why would I need to build this? And what are the design considerations there?” This emphasis on user need is fully reflected in her company’s focus on listening to real customers – their LinkedIn page is chock-full of user quotes, video updates, and immediate transparency of upcoming product development.
After graduating from Duke and building out her financial acumen through a year at BlackRock, Elle was itching to get back into startups. Joining the supply-chain unicorn, Stord, is what kickstarted the idea for RetailReady and where she met Sarah. Unlike many founder duos, though, their partnership started before their idea ever took shape – “Sarah and I became best friends after working together on a project at Stord, and we both realized through talking one night that we both had the aspiration to be entrepreneurs and found a company. We decided to just go in on it together and start ideating.” Though the RetailReady solution was the first one to mind, Elle and Sarah spent a full year exploring alternative ideas before coming back to it as the biggest whitespace solution – and one they were equipped to solve.
Re-enter the impact of Duke’s entrepreneurial ecosystem: when raising seed funding for RetailReady, Duke Capital Partners joined as an investor, in what Elle described as “a great full circle moment.” Beyond financial support, DCP provides ongoing assistance that Elle frames as invaluable to RetailReady. Elle highlights the “vast network for potential hires, potential customer introductions, and potential investor introductions down the line.” She adds, “I’ll always get a text from Kurt [Schmidt] or an email back saying, here are people that I can introduce you to.” Elle particularly appreciates how DCP is uplifting their brand, stating: “DCP always reposts all our LinkedIn content, and our reputation is huge for our company. That has led to a lot of organic inbound leads and referrals.”
Particularly relevant now in Women’s History Month is Elle and Sarah’s refreshing authenticity as fearlessly feminine founders. In their online weekly videos, Sarah and Elle demonstrate their close relationship, share unfiltered updates on RetailReady, and engage with comments from their wider network. When asked how this evolved into such a calling card, Elle shares: “We started posting things just as ourselves and people were really relating to it. We leaned into that, and now it’s become a staple in the community.”
Elle’s advice to aspiring founders also reflects her own journey and the support she’s received: “You have to filter through the noise and understand which voices matter to you and which ones don’t. The best advice is just to keep going, despite the adversity.” She also emphasizes the importance of mentorship, thanking her own from undergrad, Duke Professor Rebecca Simmons.
As Elle continues to grow RetailReady, she remains connected to the Duke community and exemplifies the potential of a well-rounded, thorough educational foundation and supportive networks in achieving entrepreneurial success.