We had the good fortune of connecting with Viviane Nguyen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Viviane, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The idea behind Goldie started as a Rice University MBA class project in our introductory entrepreneurship class. We weren’t necessarily seeking out a new business idea we were just tasked with finding a “burning problem” to work on, and I couldn’t get over the nightmare of jean shopping. Sizing within women’s jeans has historically always been confusing and inconsistent, making jean shopping (and especially online jean shopping) an ordeal.

My co-founders and I created Goldie, a jeans fit finder that uses your measurements to match you with the perfect jeans. Our users are able to get instant jean matches without having to decode the size chart, read reviews, or zoom into product photos just to triangulate their size. We found magic with the idea and continue to be fueled by our passion to make jean shopping painless.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve always had a knack for looking for solutions to “burning problems” and have always considered myself creative, both at the heart of entrepreneurship. My first business experience was co-founding a solar energy startup, PolarPanel, in undergrad. I learned so much about the startup world and had an amazing adventure that opened my mind to other possibilities in entrepreneurship.

It taught me that you’ll find magic when you intersect something you’re passionate about with your skillset. You could come up with a hundred of “million dollar ideas” but the one that you’ll stick with is the one you really care for and you can actively help solve. That is how we identified how unique our idea for Goldie was and how we were the perfect team to make it happen. Wherever the journey with Goldie takes us, we’re passionate about helping women and making trying on a new pair of jeans a good, painless experience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a forever Houstonian, I love exploring the greater Houston area for great food and fun. My favorite restaurants in rotation are: Sixty Vines (order the Braised Pork Pappardelle!!), Mein (order the Pan-fried Beef Broccoli Hor-Fun), Pho Saigon (order the Pho Tai), Crawfish Cafe (order crawfish with the garlic butter and lemon pepper blend) and Aga’s (order the Goat Korma). And there’s a bit of everything to do in Houston but I like shopping at the Galleria and playing games at Puttery or Flight Club Darts.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We can’t say enough about the support and love we’ve received from Rice University’s Lilie Lab. Not only did we win the 2023 Napier Rice Launch Challenge competition that helped fund our startup, but the Executive Director, Kyle Judah, was a huge champion of Goldie throughout our time in business school. He saw something in Goldie from the start and encouraged us to keep pushing to reach our goals.

Website: https://www.fitgoldie.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fit.goldie

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fitgoldie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitgoldie

Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@fitgoldie

Image Credits
Arwa Hasanali

GenShe@Rice

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.