execution edge hosted a fireside chat 2025 ICR Conference and Steve DunnFounder and CEO of WHY Brands diana barneschief brand officer and creative director. timeHis face-to-face interview was Joined Contributing Editor Jarrett Banks They discuss the company's growth and expansion, Munchkin's award-winning podcast "Stroller Coaster," and more.

Watch the full recording:

About Steve Dunn

Steve is CEO, Founder and Chairman of WHY Brands Inc., a portfolio of consumer lifestyle brands dedicated to inventing and developing creative products across a range of categories, with its own R&D center – RD8, which A place to innovate and launch purposeful, smart products. WHY is the parent company of Munchkin, a leading baby lifestyle company, and Curio, a brand of carefully crafted homewares designed to show off.

In 1990, Steve founded the beloved lifestyle brand Munchkin in Los Angeles. As a young father himself at the time, he was keen to bring smart design into nurseries. Steve continues to spend time brainstorming with product development and marketing teams, and is a primary inventor on the majority of more than 350 patents.

Steve received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Greater Los Angeles Area in the Retail and Consumer Products categories. Prior to founding Munchkin, Steve was a partner at Idanta Partners, a leading venture capital firm. His previous experience includes assistant positions in the corporate finance department of Bear Stearns. Steve holds a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

About Diana Barnes

Diana Barnes (“DB”) serves as Chief Brand Officer and Creative Director of WHY Brands, where she oversees global brand partnerships and manages the global public relations, social media and brand design teams – the point from which all creative content runs. DB's recent work with the company earned her the honor of being named one of the top 20 CMOs in the world by Fast Company.

Prior to joining Munchkin, DB worked at top agencies for PIMCO, Cadillac, PBS and other brands. Prior to that, she served as global brand design director at Dell, where she led international teams. DB began her career in the music and entertainment industry, holding creative executive positions at Sony and EMI.

DB holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a BA in Graphics/Packaging from Art Center College of Design. She has also completed multiple EMBA programs at Harvard Business School and is a founding member of the Los Angeles chapter of CHIEF, a private network that promotes more women into positions of power and keeps them there.

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