Fractional Executive. Startup Consultant. Fundraising Advisor.
Having worked as a writer, editor, and independent personal trainer, Abby Sugar is a lifelong learner and taught herself about fashion, business and startups after studying English Literature in college. Abby is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, and studied abroad at Hertford College, Oxford University.
To Abby, learning is everything, and her life motto is f*cking figure it out – so she set out to build the brand that she and her cofounders wish existed when they were younger. As an outgoing, unapologetically queer startup founder, she strives to be a leading voice in and for the LGBTQ+ community.
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to Multitudinous Musings, Abby's monthly Substack Newsletter, where she shares general educational articles about startups and investing, longform journalism, and poetry/literature that she reads - it's also known as Sugar's Recommended Reading:
Abby founded Play Out Apparel in 2018 with her cofounder, Grey Leifer. As Play Out's CEO, Abby:
Graduated from the Founder Institute as a Select Portfolio Company
Raised $750K in pre-seed from mission-aligned investors and secured loan opportunities
Won $20K from the National Business Inclusion Consortium’s pitch competition and $10K from Alibaba and HelloAlice (chosen as 1 of 50 winners from 12,000 applicants!), as well as winning other pitch competitions
Shared her story in the New York Times and Forbes
After an incredible journey, Abby closed Play Out Apparel in 2024 to pursue other opportunities as a fractional executive, startup founder, fundraising consultant, and investor.
Abby was named to the Forbes Next 1000 List in 2021, she speaks on podcasts, international panels, and gives frequent interviews about startups, fashion, diversity and inclusion, and topics important to LGBTQ+ individuals.
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