Gemvara (www.gemvara.com)
Gemvara (www.gemvara.com) is the only online personal fine jeweler that offers a virtually unlimited selection of designs through its unique made-to-order technology platform. Offering the largest fine jewelry selection in the world, shoppers have access to over 1.5 million unique design possibilities with more than 1,500 original designs that can be customized using 26 gemstone and 8 precious metal options. Each piece is handcrafted in the U.S. using just-in-time manufacturing to produce unique, made-to-order designs.
- Industry: Retail
- Year Started: 2007
- Organization Type: For-Profit
- # of Employees: 50 ( as of Jan 1, 2012)
Matt Lauzon
While still an undergrad at Babson College, Matt Lauzon and a fellow classmate co-founded Paragon Lake, a platform developed to streamline the manufacturing process for independent retail jewelry stores across the country. Paragon Lake launched in 2006; the company installed computer kiosks inside retail stores so customers could virtually create tailored pieces otherwise not kept in stock by the retailer. In 2010, Matt transformed Paragon Lake into what Gemvara is today; a direct-to-consumer, online retailer of customizable fine jewelry. His "meCommerce" vision provides everyone with a seamless online shopping experience to discover the perfect piece of jewelry. Taking notes from how Dell transformed PC customization, Zappos revolutionized online customer service and Netflix used targeted data to meet customer needs, Matt is changing the way jewelry is bought and sold, leading Gemvara to become the world's fastest growing online jeweler. Gemvara was officially launched in March 2010 and Matt has already secured four rounds of funding totaling over $51M in financing from Highland Capital Partners, Canaan Partners, Balderton Capital and Norwest Venture Partners. He is one of the only company founders in the New England area, under age 30, to obtain VC funding in the past five years. Matt earned a B.S. in Business Management from Babson College where he was an Arthur M. Blank Scholar. He was also on the winning team for the John H. Muller Jr. Business Plan Competition and was awarded the Shelby Cullom Davis prize for social entrepreneurship. Most recently, Babson College awarded Matt with its Distinguished Alumni Award. Matt served on the 2010 Future Leaders Group for the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange and the Advisory Board for the annual Nantucket Conference, which brings together entrepreneurs and innovators, and was also an honoree on Inc. Magazine's 2011 "30 Under 30" list.
- Age: 39
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
