# David Simnick

> David Simnick is the Washington, D.C.-based co-founder and CEO of Soapbox, a personal-care company that connects everyday purchases with soap donations and hygiene programs. A former USAID subcontractor and Teach For America educator, he began the company in a college kitchen, endured years of packaging and positioning mistakes, and helped turn it into a nationally distributed consumer brand whose growth has repeatedly placed it on the Inc. 5000.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Soapbox
- **Organizations:** Soapbox, Impact Driven Brands, SKU, Clean the World Foundation, Flags of Valor, The Orchestra of the Americas Group, Teach For America, USAID
- **Education:** BA in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government; minor in Economics, American University, MA in Education studies, not completed, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded Soapbox in 2010 and expanded it from a college-kitchen project into a nationally distributed personal-care brand., Led Soapbox through eight Inc. 5000 appearances between 2017 and 2025., Soapbox reported providing more than 8.2 million bars of soap across 15 countries and domestic nonprofit and disaster-relief programs in the 12 months cited by Inc. in its 2025 profile.

## Career timeline

- **2009** — Worked in development and policy roles, including as a project coordinator and a business development intern connected to USAID work.
- **2010** — Taught social studies with Teach For America in North Philadelphia and co-founded Soapbox while studying at the University of Pennsylvania.
- **2012** — Left other work with co-founder Daniel Doll to pursue Soapbox full time; launched in a Whole Foods store in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.
- **2013** — Received American University's Rising Star Award; Soapbox reached roughly 150 stores.
- **2014** — Soapbox expanded to more than 1,500 stores after revising its products, packaging and manufacturing setup.
- **2015** — Selected as a Praxis Fellow.
- **2017** — Soapbox ranked No. 472 on the Inc. 5000 with reported three-year growth of 942%.
- **2018** — Joined the board of the Clean the World Foundation.
- **2021** — Soapbox ranked No. 198 on the Inc. 5000.
- **2022** — Began advising and investing through SKU; joined the board of The Orchestra of the Americas Group.
- **2023** — Joined the board of Flags of Valor; Soapbox appeared again on the Inc. 5000.
- **2025** — Soapbox ranked No. 3,079 on the Inc. 5000, its eighth listed appearance since 2017.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Soapbox in 2010 and expanded it from a college-kitchen project into a nationally distributed personal-care brand.
- Led Soapbox through eight Inc. 5000 appearances between 2017 and 2025.
- Soapbox reported providing more than 8.2 million bars of soap across 15 countries and domestic nonprofit and disaster-relief programs in the 12 months cited by Inc. in its 2025 profile.
- Received American University's Rising Star Award in 2013.
- Completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in 2014 and became a Praxis Fellow in 2015.
- Soapbox received Sally Beauty's Favorite Brand Award for 2024, according to Simnick's public announcement.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Hosted a public Reddit AMA about hair-care science, building a give-back business and leaving a stable career to start a company.
- **2026-07** — Shared that Soapbox received a Social Impact Award at YPO's Global Retail Summit.
- **2025-08** — Soapbox was named to the 2025 Inc. 5000 at No. 3,079 with 131% three-year growth.
- **2024-11** — Announced that Soapbox received Sally Beauty's Favorite Brand Award for 2024.

## Links

- Website: https://soapboxsoaps.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsimnick
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/SoapboxCare
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@comfortcases
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidsimnick/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.simnick

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-simnick
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-22