Greg Selkoe

Greg Selkoe
Born Boston, MA
Residence Boston, MA
Alma mater Rollins College; Harvard University
Occupation Entrepreneur
Organization Karmaloop
Television Karmaloop TV
Title Founder and CEO
Spouse(s) Dina Selkoe

Greg Selkoe (born June 4, 1975) is an American entrepreneur, personality and the CEO and founder of Karmaloop.com,.[1]

Since January 2010 he has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.[2]

Biography

Greg Selkoe was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.[3]

Selkoe began Karmaloop from his parents' basement in 2000.[4]

He went to the The Winchendon School, a boarding school in Winchendon, Massachusetts. 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.[6] Selkoe also suffers from ADHD, but cites the disorder as one of the reasons he's been successful.[7]

Greg Selkoe currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and Creative Director at Karmaloop, Dina Selkoe.[8]

About Karmaloop.com

Karmaloop.com was founded in and is currently headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, 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, accessories, housewares and more).[9][10] The company targets and sells to the "Verge Culture” demographic, a multicultural group referred to as the first generation “raised on the internet" typically between the ages of 18 to 34 years-old.[11]

The company is anchored by its retail website and lifestyle network – www.Karmaloop.com – which attracts millions of unique monthly visitors[4][6] and includes both e-commerce and original content through internet television and blogs. Karmaloop.com sells over 500 men’s and women’s brands - including upstart lines via its Kazbah entrepreneurial marketplace - to customers in more than 40 countries.[12] The company utilizes its global Karmaloop Rep Program – a street team – to drive online sales and build brand loyalty with exclusive word-of-mouth discounts.[13]

The Karmaloop family also includes Karmaloop TV, 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,[11] Karmaloop TV is helmed by President Katie McEnroe (formerly President of Television & Digital Networks at Lionsgate Entertainment and President of AMC (TV channel)) and has an executive roster which includes Grammy-winning musician and entrepreneur, Pharrell Williams, who serves as Creative Director.[14]

Karmaloop filed for bankruptcy protection on March 23, 2014 [15]

Press and media

Greg Selkoe was interviewed and featured in articles regarding Karmaloop and Karmaloop TV in USA Today,[16] The New York Times,[17] Business Week,[1] Entrepreneur[4] and The Boston Globe[5] amongst many other media outlets.

Selkoe has been interviewed on TV networks including Fox Business,[18] CNBC[19] and Bloomberg Television.[20]

Selkoe made a cameo as himself on the HBO scripted drama “How to Make it in America” in the first episode of Season 2.[21]

Selkoe was a contributor to the 2010 book "Black Sheep: An unconventional look at good ol' family values" by Karyn A. Gray [22]

Selkoe was featured in a chapter of the 2007 book Outside Innovation by Patty Seabold.[23]

Selkoe was featured in a chapter in the 2011 book 10 Who Mentor by Denise Korn.[24]

Selkoe sits on the board of the Kanye West Foundation,[25] contributes to and works with the Boston Public Health Commission on its youth anti-violence programs,[26] and was a spokesperson for the Vote for Change campaign during the 2008 presidential election.[27] He also filmed a public service announcement for the Vote for Change website, encouraging young people to vote for Barack Obama.[28]

Selkoe founded the Future Boston Alliance in 2011[29] – a group dedicated to improving cultural life in Boston and retaining local creative talent – is involved with Pharrell Williams' Kidult Youth Conference,[30] has contributed a significant portion of the money toward the restoration of the Brewer Fountain on the Boston Common,[31] helped to create a partnership between the Boston Ballet and Karmaloop,[32] and sits on the board of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy[33] and the board of Youth Design, an organization that helps find paid summer design internships for inner city high school students.[34]

Selkoe is also actively involved with the Institute of Contemporary Art,[35] and UNICEF.[36]

In 2009 Selkoe was selected as one of the top 25 most influential entrepreneurs under 35 in the United States[37] and was invited to participate in a White House[38] summit for young business leaders on economic policy, new media, and youth messaging.[39]

In 2010 Greg Selkoe signed on to be a blogger[40] with popular liberal news site, The Huffington Post,[41] where he comments on current events.

Selkoe received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award in the e-commerce category in New England.[42]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "True Believers". Businessweek. 2006-12-24. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  2. ↑ "Greg Selkoe: Gay Marriage, Let the Apologies Begin". Huffingtonpost.com. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  3. ↑ http://www.vaporsmagazine.com/2007/11/greg-karamaloop/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "From Basement Boostrapper to Prominent Retailer". Entrepreneur.com. 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Greg Selkoe keeps hipsters in the loop - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Online streetwear retailer Greg Selkoe finds his groove - Boston Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  7. ↑ "Karmaloop CEO Greg Selkoe: Why Having Creative People Makes Successful Businesses [INTERVIEW]". NextShark.com. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  8. ↑ "25 Most Stylish Bostonians of 2009 - Dina Selkoe - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  9. ↑ http://www.internetretailer.com/top500/list/?page=2
  10. ↑ / (2010-12-21). "Karmaloop: An Underground Fashion Empire | Radio Boston". Radioboston.wbur.org. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Up-and-coming sites may make Boston a leader in e-commerce - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  12. ↑ Diaz, Johnny (2010-12-12). "Fashion forward - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  13. ↑ "Social Media - Karmaloop’s peer-to-peer marketing pays off". Internet Retailer. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  14. ↑ "Pharrell Williams Named Creative Director at Karmaloop TV". The Hollywood Reporter. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  15. ↑ http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/herald_bulldog/2015/03/online_retailer_karmaloop_files_for_bankruptcy
  16. ↑ O'Donnell, Jayne (2008-10-21). "Karmaloop founder keeps ear to street to sell cool clothes". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  17. ↑ Schneider, Keith (2006-11-01). "Word of Mouth Helps Them Fly Off the Shelves". The New York Times.
  18. ↑ "Online Urban Retailer | Fox Business Video". Video.foxbusiness.com. 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  19. ↑ "Pharrell Williams & the Verge Generation - CNBC". Video.cnbc.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  20. ↑ "Karmaloop and Pharrell's Cable TV Channel: Video". Bloomberg. 2011-07-29. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ "Black Sheep: An Unconventional Look at Good Ol' Family Values". Karmaloop TV. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  23. ↑ Seybold, Patricia (2007-02-01). "Customer-Controlled Innovation". Wallstreetandtech.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  24. ↑ http://www.boston.com/Boston/names/2011/11/denise-korn-signs-copies-for-cause/ZEPMMbAhfkacoWGvFQ3JZM/index.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ↑ http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/karmic_transformations_inside_the_karmaloop_home
  26. ↑ http://www.babsonforum.com/2011/speakers/28-speakers/brand-management/64-greg-selkoe
  27. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gxXfvvzgf4
  28. ↑ http://obeygiant.com/voteforchange/greg-selko/
  29. ↑ http://www.universalhub.com/2011/future-boston-alliance-announces-creative-economy
  30. ↑ http://www.kidult.com/blogs/the-www-the-world-wide-what/soho-takes-over-fashions-night-out-again
  31. ↑ http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=5324
  32. ↑ Shanahan, Mark; Goldstein, Meredith (2009-09-19). "East meets Western Mass". The Boston Globe.
  33. ↑ http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/governance
  34. ↑ http://www.youthdesign.org/about-who.html
  35. ↑ Goodnough, Abby (2009-03-12). "Boston Vandalism Charges Stir Debate on Art's Place". The New York Times.
  36. ↑ http://www.unicefusa.org/about/special-events/childrens-champion/
  37. ↑ http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/03/22/lifting_their_dreams_by_the_bootstraps/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. ↑ http://www.innoeco.com/labels/White%20House.html
  39. ↑ "ProQuest Archiver: Titles".
  40. ↑ Selkoe, Greg. "Greg Selkoe". Huffington Post.
  41. ↑ http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/phlog/archive/2010/01/08/the-newest-huff-post-columnist-karmaloop-founder-greg-selkoe.aspx
  42. ↑ http://business.transworld.net/101684/news/greg-selkoe-named-ernst-young-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2012/