Ep 523: UPDATE: Revel Bikes’ Founder Buys Back Brand After Sudden PE Shutdown – The Story Behind the Re-acquistion!

2025-07-07

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupIn this episode of the DTC Podcast:We dive into how Adam Miller, founder of Revel Bikes, re-acquired his high-end DTC bike business after a private equity sale, a bankruptcy, and a founderless shutdown.Key moments organizational leaders and DTC entrepreneurs will learn:How founder control vs PE operations impacted Revel’s culture, inventory efficiency, and profitabilityThe behind-the-scenes 10-day auction to buy back the company for pennies on the d...

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In this episode of the DTC Podcast:

We dive into how Adam Miller, founder of Revel Bikes, re-acquired his high-end DTC bike business after a private equity sale, a bankruptcy, and a founderless shutdown.

Key moments organizational leaders and DTC entrepreneurs will learn:

How founder control vs PE operations impacted Revel’s culture, inventory efficiency, and profitability

The behind-the-scenes 10-day auction to buy back the company for pennies on the dollar

Tactical relaunch decisions: staffing lean, re-platform to Shopify, pricing –25–35%, direct Meta ads

Why founder-led DTC brands can beat PE‑backed exits with stronger purpose, brand affinity, and agility

Why this matters:

Learn to spot when PE control derails your brand’s DNA

Understand the power of founder-led rebirth with agility over scale

Get tactical takeaways on relaunching a DTC business post-bankruptcy

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Timestamps

00:00 – Revel Bikes is back under founder ownership

02:00 – Why Adam Miller sold Revel in 2021

04:00 – The company’s decline under private equity

06:00 – How inefficiencies and overspending led to closure

08:00 – The emotional rollercoaster of losing the business

12:00 – Outbidding others to buy Revel back

14:00 – What Adam learned after stepping away

16:00 – Changes in Revel 2.0: smaller team, DTC model

18:00 – Lower prices, Shopify replatforming, Meta ads

20:00 – Early traction and overcoming brand damage

21:30 – Would he sell to PE again?