Tony Vu

Tony Vu is the co-founder and President of RareCustom, bringing over fifteen years of entrepreneurial experience in e-commerce, manufacturing, and brand development. A first-generation Vietnamese-American, Tony grew up helping his parents run a small screen printing shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned the fundamentals of custom merchandise production before he could drive.

Tony earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University and later completed an MBA at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, where his thesis on direct-to-consumer supply chain optimization earned the Dean's Award for Innovation. After graduation, he spent six years building and scaling two e-commerce startups—one in promotional products and another in personalized gifts—before co-founding RareCustom.

At RareCustom, Tony oversees strategic partnerships, product development, and the company's long-term vision. He personally negotiated partnerships with Printful, Printify, and Prodigi to build the multi-supplier infrastructure that powers RareCustom's production network. His engineering mindset ensures that every product meets rigorous quality standards while remaining accessible at competitive price points.

Tony is a frequent speaker at e-commerce and print industry events including SXSW Interactive, Shoptalk, and the Impressions Expo. He has been featured in Forbes' "30 Under 30" alumni spotlight, Entrepreneur Magazine, and the National Retail Federation's annual innovation report. He serves on the advisory board of the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and mentors aspiring entrepreneurs through the Houston chapter of SCORE.

Tony's leadership philosophy centers on removing friction: "Every barrier between a customer's idea and a finished product is a problem we haven't solved yet." Under his guidance, RareCustom has grown to serve customers in over 190 countries with a product catalog spanning fourteen categories.

Outside of work, Tony is an avid marathon runner (personal best 3:12), a home barbecue pit master who competes in local cook-offs, and coaches his daughter's robotics team. He and his family split time between Houston and Austin.