At the age of 31, former Foursquare whiz kid Tristan Walker has revolutionized the world of men’s grooming with Bevel, an innovative brand that makes shaving easier for brothers. Can you say “no more ingrown hairs”? Now, after inking a major deal with Target and raising more than $24 million in funding for his umbrella company, Walker & Company (thanks to celeb fans including Magic Johnson and John Legend), the creative visionary has major plans to take the health and beauty industries by storm.  —MB
 
Give us the CliffNotes version of how you started out. 
 
We began in June 2013 with one goal: to make health and beauty simple for people of color. There are many issues we face when it comes to product offerings, such as not having products that work for us and terrible design. We deserve better, particularly considering how much money we spend on that stuff and how much of the demographic we are. Each of our Walker & Company brands will focus on solving problems that people of color have. With our first launch, Bevel, we wanted to create the first shaving system that is actually clinically proven to reduce shaving irritation. 
 
You have had a recent influx of investors and celebrity partnerships. How has that helped with your overall goals?
 
It has really helped with product innovation and development. First,  we found out with Bevel was that you have to spend money to have good products that people love. We want to ensure we continue to make products that are innovative and address a unique need.  Second, it has helped in terms of staffing. We care about customer service and want to have a 24/7 operation so that we can address any concerns right away. Last, this has helped us invest in distribution. Target recently signed on as one of our major distributors. 
 
Read more in the February 2016 issue of EBONY Magazine.