06/06/2026
Alex Schinasi had already built and sold two software companies when she started Hulken as a side project in 2020.
The idea came from her father, who sketched a rolling tote on a trip to Paris. When Alex and her husband started using it around New York City, strangers kept stopping them to ask about it. During COVID, they launched a simple website. Alex was still running her other company. Hulken was nights and weekends.
For the first two years she ran no paid ads, pursued no press and held no launch event. She calls it the Silent Build: get the product, manufacturing and unit economics right before turning on marketing.
When her software company was acquired in 2024, Hulken had already reached $30 million in revenue — built entirely on product and word of mouth. She went all in.
The brand closed 2025 at over $50 million with seven employees and is targeting up to $100 million in 2026, now sold at Target, The Container Store, QVC and Amazon.
Her advice: stop hiring to feel productive, stop overthinking launches and stop raising money you don't need. Build the thing first. Make sure it solves a problem. Then let it grow.
Ready to just start? bit.ly/49JA1Xv
