In this age of venture capitalists and side hustles that have side hustles, you’d be forgiven for thinking every entrepreneur has the same goal: Make as much money as possible, ideally in the shortest amount of time as possible. Patrick Rynne, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of the mission-driven sustainable swim and sunwear brand Waterlust, doesn’t see it that way.
“A lot of founders might talk a lot about creating something that they can make a gajillion dollars [on], or selling it and retiring to the Hamptons,” Rynne says. “But our ethos at Waterlust has always been, ‘We're in it for the long haul.’ We obviously need to put food on the table and make enough money to survive, but our team really values the impact that we have…and our plan is to do this for the rest of our lives.”
It’s a rosy outlook, but by all accounts, it comes from a place of genuine care for and dedication to the work said team is doing. Dedicated to marine conservation, Waterlust sells gear like water-friendly leggings, board shorts, sun shirts, reversible bra/swim tops, and more, in a range of vibrant marine animal-themed prints (though plain black is also an option); each print corresponds to specific conservation initiatives that Waterlust donates to and provides comprehensive education on via a series of actually interesting emails.
Rynne’s stated ethos also reflects how Waterlust came to be: a mission first, followed years later by a product created in service of that mission. Rynne didn’t set out in his career to make clothes or swimwear — not that he had much of an alternate plan mapped out, either. By the time he graduated from Brown University with a degree in material engineering, he knew he didn’t want to follow that career path.
Having grown up near the Atlantic, though, he knew he loved the ocean — and he happened to be an elite sailor. So, Rynne moved to Miami after graduation to train with the U.S. Olympic sailing team. It was in the midst of that training when he got antsy and went back to school to study marine science. The sailing team didn’t make the 2008 Olympics, but Rynne’s scientific interests were piqued enough to shift his focus completely to a Ph.D. program.