Meet the Judge: Lori Coulter, Co-Founder & CEO of Summersalt

Lori Coulter didn’t just build a brand - she reinvented an industry. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Summersalt, she has transformed swimwear from a space of unrealistic beauty standards into one of empowerment and innovation. By leveraging data science, sustainable materials, and a direct-to-consumer model, Lori and her team have built a brand that’s not only disrupting the $5.2 billion US swimwear market but also setting new standards in fit and quality. Summersalt’s rapid growth has solidified its place as a leader in fashion, earning recognition from Vogue, ELLE, and People.

"Since Summersalt was launched in 2017, it has disrupted the historically male-dominated and over-sexualized swimwear industry, which has catered to impossible beauty standards for decades," Lori explains. "My Co-Founder, Reshma, and I redefined how it feels to purchase and wear a swimsuit and we changed the conversation around swimwear and addressed a true market gap by creating designer swimwear without the designer price tag."

Summersalt stands out in the direct-to-consumer space by leveraging data science to create the best-fitting swimwear possible. "Real talk: We understand what fits women," the brand states. "With a collection of 1.5 million measurements from 10,000 real women, we have created the most iconic fitting swimwear on the planet." This obsession with fit and quality allows Summersalt to provide premium swimwear without the luxury price tag—all while staying committed to eco-friendly fabrics and responsible manufacturing practices.

But Summersalt isn’t just about swimwear. The brand quickly expanded to include adventure-friendly essentials that help make every aspect of a woman's wardrobe more joyful and comfortable. "The first challenge was to transform the swimwear shopping experience from being intimidating and vulnerable to fun and empowering," Lori says. "Summersalt believes that every woman deserves to look and feel sexy on her own terms."

This mission has resonated with consumers and investors alike. Since launch, Summersalt has raised over $45 million from venture investors across multiple rounds. Under Lori's leadership, Summersalt has gained widespread recognition. The company was named one of CNBC’s Top 100 Upstarts in 2019 and earned the 2020 LEAD Award for Breakout Company of the Year. Lori and her co-founder, Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin, were honored as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Heartland Award finalists.

Lori’s ability to recognize product-market fit early was crucial to Summersalt’s rapid growth. "As a consumer brand you really have just one chance to get it right out of the gate. It was obvious on day one that we had bottled ‘magic’ as it relates to the consumer, press and the brand. We sold out of everything within the first month and it was a thrill to experience firsthand!"

Like any company, Summersalt faced unexpected challenges—none greater than the pandemic. But instead of retreating, the company doubled down on its mission. "Like all other companies, the pandemic brought many new challenges for Summersalt," Lori recalls. "When the pandemic lockdowns first began, we wanted to do something to connect with our community during such a stressful and uncertain time."

Instead of sending out a typical corporate statement, Lori and her team launched the ‘Joycast,’ an emotionally uplifting text hotline. "Summersalt had repurposed our text message platform to launch the ‘Joycast,’ an emotionally uplifting text hotline to help spread good news," she says. "Right away, the Joycast struck a chord with customers. Right after launch, we received thousands of messages from customers needing a little piece of joy as a remedy from current events."

Lori also shared some exciting news about a brick and mortar partnership: "We recently launched in approximately 100 Dicks Sporting Goods stores with more to come. Being in-store at DSG fills a gap in our customer’s buying process—it’s a thoughtful option throughout her buying journey. She can always purchase with a range of expedited shipping options on summersalt.com, but this offers her the convenience of a last-minute, same-day purchasing option in key markets not just for her but for her entire family."

Lori knows firsthand the importance of resilience in entrepreneurship. "There is a very fine line between success and failure and sometimes it is just the person who can stick it out the longest," she says.

As a judge at Missouri Startup Weekend, she encourages participants to balance creativity with execution. "Creativity without execution is just an idea. The best teams are not only creative but provide solutions that are actionable, along with a plan, and the ability to create the future."

For founders looking to scale, Lori advises starting with a targeted niche before expanding outward. "For Summersalt it was about starting at the narrow niche and expanding in concentric circles from there," she says. "We started our brand knowing we could scale beyond the initial scope, which is a proven venture capital strategy that has worked across many industries and business models."

Q&A

You’ve accomplished so much professionally—what are you most proud of personally? I love building - anything from a new business model to a physical product. Creating each new concept or product truly gives me an adrenaline rush and that is what gets me excited day in and day out. I am so proud of where Summersalt is today!

What’s a daily ritual or habit you swear by? I try to get in some personal time each day, whether that be a walk with my dog, a quiet moment on my patio, or sipping a cup of tea, and I am grounded in the fact that while Summersalt is my life’s work, my husband and two sons will always be my number one priority. 

If you weren’t leading Summersalt, what career path do you think you’d have pursued? I have always had a passion for business and entrepreneurship, however, if I had to do something else I would likely be a Clandestine Intelligence Officer.

What’s a piece of advice you once received that has stuck with you? A piece of advice that is really important for any founder is that the highs are not typically as high as you think they are and same with the lows. If you can keep an even keel for the team by absorbing some of the shock along the way, you can help keep the team moving forward in the good, bad and ugly phases.

What excites you most about Missouri Startup Weekend? I cannot think of anything more rewarding or energizing than spending time with the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Missouri ecosystem. As the parent of a Mizzou freshman, I also have the added perk of hanging out with my son while spending the weekend in Columbia.

What’s the one thing you hope to take away from this year’s event? When you are surrounded by world-class founders the energy is infectious. I look forward to being energized by and learning from the next generation of entrepreneurs!