Renowned internet entrepreneur Michael Rubin is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Fanatics, the global leader for licensed sports merchandise which is changing the way fans purchase their favorite team apparel through an innovative, tech-infused approach to designing, making and selling fan gear. As founder/CEO of Kynetic, he also owns two other businesses at the forefront of online commerce that enhance the way we shop in today's on-demand culture: the Rue Gilt Groupe, owner of two of the top online private sale destinations in the U.S., and ShopRunner, a members-only service aggregating shopping benefits from top retailers and brands.
At a time when the retail industry is seeing massive upheaval, Rubin has envisioned a new model for commerce – Vertical Commerce. This V-Commerce approach allows for incredible speed-to-market of fan gear, benefitting leagues, teams and retailers looking to serve the insatiable real-time appetite of fans worldwide, fueled by explosive growth in technology, mobile and social media.
Rubin has always been on the cutting edge of commerce. Prior to creating Kynetic, he was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GSI Commerce, a network of e-commerce, multichannel and digital marketing businesses. In a span of 12 years, Rubin built GSI to service 150 of the top 500 internet retailers before selling the company to eBay for $2.4 billion. He started his entrepreneurial career at the age of 12, when he opened a ski-tuning shop in his parents' Philadelphia basement. At age 25, Rubin became one of the youngest CEOs ever of a NASDAQ-listed company.
Named annually as one of the most influential people in sports business, Rubin is also co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.
