Peiman Raf: Madhappy
Peiman Raf is the co-founder and CEO of Madhappy, an optimistic lifestyle clothing brand focused on positivity and mental health.
Peiman was born in Italy but moved to America at a young age. His parents are Iranian immigrants who ultimately brought their family to America for a better life and more opportunities for Peiman and his younger brother, Noah.
Before launching Madhappy in 2017, Peiman worked as an investment banker in New York for several months after graduating college but quickly realized he wasn’t on a path that he wanted to go down. Over the holidays, while on a ski trip, he reconnected with a couple of friends from high school and discussed the idea of starting a clothing brand - they decided to call it Madhappy (a catchy name that their co-founder and friend, Mason, had come up with a few months prior).
Since then, the four founders (Peiman, Noah, Mason, and their friend Josh), along with their growing team, have gone on to build an incredible community and a brand that stands for something. They’ve put on pop-ups, thrown massive parties, and sold millions of dollars worth of product. In May 2019, they raised a strategic round of capital from high-profile investors such as LVMH, Tommy Hilfiger, and the founders of Sweetgreen.
In this episode, Pat and Posh hang with Peiman at Madhappy HQ to chat about the early days of starting the brand, the mistakes and lessons they’ve learned, and what’s to come for the growing label. They also discuss the topic of mental health and the personal connection to the founding team, how Peiman maintains his own mental sanity while building the next big clothing brand, and his advice to anyone who’s just starting out in the space.
Peiman Raf: @peimanraf
Madhappy: @madhappy
The Founder Hour: @thefounderhour
Pat: @patricktanahan
Posh: @posh
