Hims co-founder and CEO Andrew Dudum has told reporters in the past that the men’s wellness company, which sells generic Viagra and hair loss prevention products, was inspired by the time his sister told him his skin was “wrinkly” and bought him $300 worth of products to fix it.
The part of Hims’ history that he doesn’t talk about as much is the role played by Atomic, a venture capital firm where Dudum is a partner. Atomic launches its own startups, using a list of more than 500 ideas for new companies, which it tests to gauge consumer reaction. Atomic, in a corporate blog, has cited Hims as an example of how it develops startups.
