Portfolio.
Matt Lauzon. Gemvara
Gemvara is an online retailer of fine jewellery that is pioneering user-generated e-commerce.
Gemvara offers a virtually unlimited selection of fine jewellery designs through its unique technology platform. More than 1,500 original designs can be customized by the shopper, who can mix-and-match from 26 gemstones and 8 precious metals - resulting in over a billion design possibilities. Each piece is handcrafted in the U.S. using just-in-time manufacturing to produce each piece, made-to-order.
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 2011, 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 three rounds of funding totaling over $25M in financing from Highland Capital Partners, Canaan Partners and Balderton Capital. 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.”
