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Starting a company, dealing with bipolar disorder and struggling to manage both

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode Cuts Both Ways.

Creating a company is hard. For CEO Andy Dunn, having bipolar made it an even more extreme experience. He says a psychotic break forced him to focus on mental hygiene and challenge startup culture.

About Andy Dunn

Andy Dunn co-founded the men's apparel company Bonobos in 2007, where he served as the company's CEO for 10 years. In 2017, he sold the company to Walmart for $310 million. Dunn published his memoir, Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind, which chronicles his journey at the intersection of entrepreneurship and bipolar disorder. His latest venture, Pie, is a social app addressing the societal trends of loneliness and social isolation. He describes it as, "more social, less media."

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by James Delahoussaye and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
James Delahoussaye
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Sanaz Meshkinpour
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
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