# Lori Coulter

> Lori Coulter is the co-founder, CEO, and President of Summersalt, the St. Louis-based direct-to-consumer swimwear and apparel brand built on data from 1.5 million body measurements. She turned a pre-teen concession stand hustle into a generation-defining brand that has sold over 4 million garments, raised $30M+, and landed in Vogue, Elle, and Forbes. She now serves as an Operator Advisor at Redbud VC and adjunct faculty at Washington University's Olin Business School, championing equitable venture funding for female founders.

- **Role:** Operator Advisor at Redbud VC
- **Organizations:** Summersalt, Redbud VC, Washington University in St. Louis, Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** MBA, Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School, BBA in Marketing, Baylor University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Summersalt, which grew to serve 1.2M+ customers and sell 4M+ products, Raised $30M+ in venture funding for Summersalt, Named one of Inc. Magazine's Top 100 Female Founders (2020)

## Career timeline

- **Pre-teen** — Ran a concession stand at her brother's American Legion baseball games - first business, first angel investor (her mother)
- **Early career** — Founded a made-to-order swimsuit company using specialized 3D body-scan software
- **1999** — Earned MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School
- **2016** — Co-founded Summersalt with Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin in St. Louis, MO
- **2017** — Officially launched Summersalt to market
- **2019** — Summersalt named one of CNBC's Top 100 Upstarts globally
- **2020** — Named one of Inc. Magazine's Top 100 Female Founders; Summersalt won LEAD Award for Breakout Company of the Year
- **2022** — Joined Washington University Board of Trustees
- **2024** — Named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Heartland Award finalist; named WashU adjunct faculty at Sam Fox School; named one of Top 25 Most Inspirational Women Leaders
- **2025** — Named Titan 100 executive in St. Louis; serving as Operator Advisor at Redbud VC

## Achievements

- Co-founded Summersalt, which grew to serve 1.2M+ customers and sell 4M+ products
- Raised $30M+ in venture funding for Summersalt
- Named one of Inc. Magazine's Top 100 Female Founders (2020)
- CNBC Top 100 Upstarts globally (2019)
- LEAD Award for Breakout Company of the Year (2020)
- EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Heartland Award finalist
- Named one of Top 25 Most Inspirational Women Leaders (2024)
- Honored as Titan 100 executive in St. Louis (2025)
- Board of Trustees member at Washington University in St. Louis
- Summersalt featured in Vogue, Elle, Forbes, People, InStyle, and CNN
- Notable brand collaborations with Rifle Paper Co. and L.L. Bean
- Adjunct faculty at WashU's Sam Fox School

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Named to Titan 100 class of 2025 in St. Louis
- **2024-12** — Featured in WashU Source article on her role as adjunct faculty and Board of Trustees member
- **2024-01** — Named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Heartland Award finalist and Top 25 Most Inspirational Women Leaders honoree

## Links

- Website: https://www.summersalt.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loricoulter
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/loritcoulter
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loricoulter/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lori-coulter
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-14