| Greg Selkoe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Boston, MA |
| Residence | Boston, MA |
Greg Selkoe (born June 4, 1975) is an American entrepreneur, personality and the CEO and founder of Karmaloop.com [1] and Karmaloop TV (KarmaloopTV.com).
Since January 2010 he has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.[2]
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Greg Selkoe was born in Boston, MA and was raised in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.[3]
Selkoe began Karmaloop from his parents' basement in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston[4] in 2000.
Selkoe received his undergraduate degree from Rollins College[5] in Winter Park, Florida. After graduation from Rollins and before starting Karmaloop, Selkoe worked for the City of Boston for three years, at the Boston Redevelopment Authority.[6] After starting Karmaloop, Selkoe continued his education at The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and completed a Masters in Public Policy in 2005.[7]
Greg Selkoe currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and Creative Director at Karmaloop, Dina Selkoe.[8]
Greg Selkoe was a vocal supporter of the 2008 Barack Obama presidential candidacy, filming a public service announcement for the Vote for Change website, encouraging young people to vote for Obama.[9]
In 2009 Selkoe was selected as one of the top 25 most influential American entrepreneurs under age 35 [10] and was invited to participate in a White House[11] summit for young business leaders on economic policy, new media, and youth messaging.[12]
Karmaloop.com was founded in and is currently headquartered in Boston, MA, with an office and TV studio in New York City. It is one of the world’s largest online retailers of streetwear (including footwear, apparel and accessories)[13] [14]. The company targets and sells to the "Verge Culture” demographic, the multicultural 18-34 youth group referred to as the first generation “raised on the internet."[15]
The company is anchored by its retail website and lifestyle network – www.Karmaloop.com – which attracts millions of unique monthly visitors[16] [17] and includes both retail shopping and original blog content. Karmaloop.com sells over 500 men’s and women’s brands, including upstart lines via their Kazbah entrepreneurial marketplace, to customers in more than three dozen countries[18]. The company utilizes its global Karmaloop Rep Program – the “Street Team” – to drive online sales and build brand loyalty with exclusive word-of-mouth discounts.
The Karmaloop family also includes Karmaloop TV – www.KarmaloopTV.com – currently a multi-platform broadband programming network, which was launched in 2008. Planning to expand and launch as a 24-hour cable television channel in 2012[19], Karmaloop TV is helmed by President Katie McEnroe (formerly President of Television & Digital Networks at Lionsgate Entertainment and President of AMC (TV channel)) and boasts an executive roster which includes Grammy-winning musician and entrepreneur, Pharrell Williams, who serves as Creative Director[20].
Karmaloop has been written up in USA Today,[21] The New York Times,[22] Business Week[23], Entrepreneur[24] and The Boston Globe.[25], among many other media outlets.
Greg Selkoe has been interviewed on TV networks including Fox Business[26], CNBC[27] and Bloomberg Television[28].
Selkoe sits on the board of the Kanye West Foundation, contributes to and works with the Boston Public Health Commission on its youth anti-violence programs, and was a spokesperson for the Vote for Change campaign during the 2008 presidential election[29]. Selkoe is the founder of the Future Boston Alliance – a group dedicated to improving cultural life in Boston and retaining local creative talent – and is involved in organizations including: Kidult Youth Conference; Youth Design; the Boston Ballet; Friends of the Public Garden; the Emerald Necklace Conservancy; the Institute of Contemporary Art; the Museum of Fine Arts; the Animal Rescue League; and UNICEF.
In 2009 Selkoe was selected as one of the top 25 most influential entrepreneurs under 35 in the US[30] and was invited to participate in a White House[31] summit for young business leaders on economic policy, new media, and youth messaging.[32]
In 2010 Greg Selkoe signed on to be a blogger[33] with popular liberal news site, The Huffington Post,[34] where he comments on current events.