You’ve probably seen the sleek, silver safety razors in Target or on your Instagram feed. Or maybe you’ve caught a clip of a founder talking about why the "ethnic aisle" in grocery stores is a slap in the face. That’s Tristan Walker. Honestly, if you’re looking for a blueprint on how to build a brand with a soul while everyone else is just chasing a quick exit, you have to look at Tristan Walker of Walker & Company.
He didn't just start a shaving company. He started a movement that basically forced Silicon Valley and retail giants to realize they were ignoring the majority of the world.
The Myth of the "Niche" Market
People love to use the word "niche" when they don't understand a customer base. When Tristan Walker was pitching Bevel—his flagship shaving system—investors kept telling him it was too small. They saw a razor for Black men. Tristan saw a solution for the global majority.
It's kinda wild when you think about it. For decades, Black men were told that razor bumps and ingrown hairs were just "part of the deal." Mainstream companies would just throw a different photo on a box of the same multi-blade razors that caused the problem in the first place. Walker knew better because he lived it. He realized that a single-blade safety razor was the actual scientific answer for coarse, curly hair.
He didn't just want to sell a product; he wanted to fix a "pathetic" retail experience. You know the one—where you have to go to a tiny, dusty shelf at the back of the store to find products for your hair or skin.
Breaking the Silicon Valley Mold
Tristan wasn't some random guy off the street. He had the "pedigree" that VCs usually drool over:
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- Stanford MBA.
- Early employee at Twitter.
- Head of Business Development at Foursquare.
- Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Andreessen Horowitz.
But even with those credits, he still heard "no" 99% of the time. Why? Because the people holding the checks didn't have the "lived experience" to understand why a razor mattered. They wanted apps. They wanted "scalable" software. Walker was trying to sell them a physical razor and a dream of a "Black Procter & Gamble."
Why Walker & Company Moved to Atlanta
By 2018, Walker & Company was a success. It had raised over $33 million. It had celebrity backers like Nas and John Legend. Then, the big news hit: Procter & Gamble (P&G) acquired Walker & Company.
A lot of people in the community were worried. Would the brand lose its voice? Would P&G "corporate-ify" the mission? But Walker played it smart. He stayed on as CEO. He didn't just cash out and disappear to a private island. Instead, he moved the entire operation from the bubble of Palo Alto to Atlanta, Georgia.
Why Atlanta? It was a statement.
Silicon Valley is great for tech, but Atlanta is the heart of Black culture and entrepreneurship in America. Walker wanted his team to be surrounded by the very people they were serving. He’s often said that "culture is the one thing you can't outsource," and being in Atlanta allowed the brand to stay authentic while using P&G's massive R&D labs to make the products even better.
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The Leadership Philosophy: Courage over Sameness
If you listen to Walker speak today, he doesn't talk much about "growth hacks" or "burn rates." He talks about difference.
He believes that if you try to be like everyone else, you’re competing for a finite amount of reward. But if you lean into what makes you different—your specific heritage, your unique problems—you create a "blue ocean" where you're the only player.
His hiring reflects this too. Walker & Company has always been "majority-minority" and majority-women in leadership. Not because of a quota, but because that’s where the talent was that understood the mission.
The Bevel Effect: What’s Changed?
Since the acquisition, the brand has expanded way beyond just shaving. They’ve moved into:
- Skincare: Toners and peels that actually handle hyperpigmentation.
- Body Care: Deodorants and body washes that smell like high-end cologne, not a middle-school locker room.
- Hair: Products for textured hair that don't rely on harsh chemicals.
The most surprising thing? About 60% of Bevel's sales in retail stores like Target have come from people who aren't Black.
That’s the secret. When you build something that works exceptionally well for the most difficult use case (like coarse, curly hair that’s prone to irritation), it usually works better for everyone. By solving a specific problem for a specific community, Tristan Walker accidentally created a premium brand that everyone wanted a piece of.
Actionable Insights for Founders
If you're looking to follow the Tristan Walker playbook, here is what you actually need to do:
- Solve your own "annoyance": If you are frustrated by a product, thousands of other people probably are too. Don't look for "market gaps" in a spreadsheet; look for them in your daily life.
- Ignore the "Niche" Label: If someone calls your idea niche, ask them for their data. People of color represent trillions in spending power. That’s not a niche; that’s the market.
- Build a "Movement," Not Just a Brand: People buy products, but they join movements. Bevel succeeded because it treated grooming as an act of self-respect, not just a chore.
- Focus on Efficacy: Pretty packaging only gets you the first sale. The product has to actually work. Walker spent years perfecting the blade angle of the Bevel razor before he went big.
- Control Your Narrative: Walker used his platform to talk about diversity in tech long before it was a trendy corporate buzzword. He founded CODE2040 to get more Black and Latino engineers into Silicon Valley. By being a leader outside of his company, he built massive trust for his brand.
Tristan Walker showed that you don't have to change who you are to win in the big leagues. You just have to be so good—and so authentic—that they can't afford to ignore you. In 2026, as the "DTC" (direct-to-consumer) craze has cooled off, the brands that are still standing are the ones that, like Walker & Company, actually stand for something.