# Julie Bornstein

> Julie Bornstein is the founder and CEO of Daydream, an AI-powered shopping search engine that raised $50M in seed funding in 2024 and publicly launched in 2025. A serial entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer, she grew Nordstrom.com from $10M to $350M in sales, transformed Sephora's digital business and launched Beauty Insider, scaled Stitch Fix to $1B as COO, and sold her AI fashion startup The Yes to Pinterest in 2022. With a Harvard BA and HBS MBA, Bornstein has spent 25+ years at the intersection of retail, technology, and artificial intelligence.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Daydream
- **Organizations:** Daydream, The Yes (acquired by Pinterest), Pinterest, Stitch Fix, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Robertson Stephens, Donna Karan, Redfin (board), WW / WeightWatchers (board), Sweetgreen (board)
- **From:** Syracuse, New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Government, Harvard University, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Grew Nordstrom.com from $10M to $350M in annual e-commerce sales in five years, Launched Sephora's Beauty Insider loyalty program, which became a benchmark for retail loyalty, Quadrupled Sephora's e-commerce business as Chief Digital Officer

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Graduated Harvard Business School; joined Robertson Stephens as investment banker covering retail
- **1998** — Moved to Starbucks for a business development and M&A role
- **1999** — Joined Donna Karan Company in merchandising
- **2000** — Joined Nordstrom to help launch Nordstrom.com; grew online sales from $10M to $350M over five years
- **2005** — Joined Urban Outfitters as Head of E-Commerce
- **2007** — Joined Sephora as Chief Digital Officer, later adding CMO role; launched Beauty Insider loyalty program and quadrupled e-commerce
- **2012** — Joined Stitch Fix board of directors
- **2015** — Joined Stitch Fix as COO; scaled company to $1B+ revenue in under three years
- **2017** — Departed Stitch Fix ahead of IPO
- **2018** — Founded THE YES, an AI-powered personalized fashion app
- **2020** — Launched THE YES app publicly (adjusted launch amid COVID-19)
- **2022** — Pinterest acquired THE YES; Bornstein served as VP of Shopping at Pinterest
- **2023** — Left Pinterest; co-founded Daydream with Lisa Yamner, Richard Kim, and Dan Cary
- **2024** — Raised $50M seed round led by Forerunner Ventures and Index Ventures (with Google Ventures, True Ventures) in two months
- **2025** — Daydream launched publicly in June 2025 with 8,500+ brand partners; iPhone app launched November 2025

## Achievements

- Grew Nordstrom.com from $10M to $350M in annual e-commerce sales in five years
- Launched Sephora's Beauty Insider loyalty program, which became a benchmark for retail loyalty
- Quadrupled Sephora's e-commerce business as Chief Digital Officer
- Scaled Stitch Fix to over $1 billion in revenue as COO
- Founded and sold The Yes to Pinterest in 2022
- Raised $50 million in seed funding for Daydream in just two months (June 2024)
- Launched Daydream with 8,500+ brand partners at public debut (June 2025)
- Board member of Redfin, WW (formerly Weight Watchers), and Sweetgreen
- Recognized as one of the pioneers of US e-commerce retail

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Daydream launched an iPhone app leveraging Apple's Visual Intelligence framework, enabling shopping directly from screenshots
- **2025-06** — Daydream launched publicly in beta with 8,500+ brand partners including Net-A-Porter, Altuzarra, Jimmy Choo, Doen, Alo Yoga, and La DoubleJ
- **2024-06** — Daydream secured $50M seed round led by Forerunner Ventures and Index Ventures, with Google Ventures and True Ventures also participating
- **2024-06** — Julie Bornstein unveiled Daydream at BoF VOICES 2024, positioning it as 'the ChatGPT of shopping'
- **2023-05** — Co-founded Daydream with Lisa Yamner, Richard Kim, and Dan Cary after leaving Pinterest

## Links

- Website: https://daydream.ing
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliebornstein
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/juliebornstein
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.bornstein/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.bornstein/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/julie-bornstein
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-07