Kynetic

Moving next-generation commerce forward.

Kynetic consists of three consumer Internet businesses: Fanatics, the world’s leading online retailer of licensed sports merchandise; Rue La La, a leading online private sale destination in the U.S.; and ShopRunner, an innovative members-only service that aggregates shopping benefits from the top retailers and brands.

Founded in 2011 by renowned Internet entrepreneur Michael G. Rubin, Kynetic is based in the Greater Philadelphia area. In its first year, Kynetic will be one of the larger privately held companies in the United States.

Kynetic reflects Rubin’s passion for growth, business and changing the game. For years, he focused on building the enablers for brands to successfully sell to consumers online. Now, he has launched Kynetic to focus on the direct-to-consumer business. The company’s name begins with Kylie, the name of Michael’s daughter and combines his personal enthusiasm for the consumer Internet and the kinetic energy of next-generation commerce.

Click here for more information about Michael Rubin, founder and CEO, and learn why he is excited to announce this new venture.

Rubin launches Kynetic, following eBay’s acquisition of GSI Commerce.

Rubin launched Kynetic on September 12, 2011. This next-generation commerce company consists of three consumer Internet businesses: Fanatics, Rue La La and ShopRunner.

Prior to the launch of Kynetic, Rubin’s GSI was acquired by eBay Inc. for $2.4 billion on June 17, 2011. As part of the transaction, GSI sold interests in ShopRunner, Rue La La and Fanatics to the newly formed Kynetic.

Today, GSI, an eBay Inc. company, operates as a separate business alongside eBay Marketplace and PayPal. eBay retains minority interests in ShopRunner and Rue La La.

Earlier in 2011, GSI acquired Fanatics, Inc., a then Jacksonville, Florida-based company that operated more than 250 e-commerce websites, including footballfanatics.com, and over 60 e-commerce stores for collegiate and professional sports partners and media organizations.

Rubin featured on CBS’ “Undercover Boss.” ShopRunner Launches.

America got a peek into GSI at one of the most busy and successful times in the company’s history when Rubin donned a disguise and appeared on an episode of the Emmy-nominated CBS reality show “Undercover Boss.”

GSI launched ShopRunner, an innovative members-only service that aggregates shopping benefits from top retailers and brands. GSI also significantly expanded its global footprint in 2010, growing its European online store footprint for global clients and opening offices in Tokyo and Singapore.

GSI net revenue: $1.4 billion. Employees: 5,616.

GSI captures market leader title under Rubin. Rue La La joins the GSI fold.

That honor, published in research by Internet Retailer, capped off the celebratory 10th anniversary of providing e-commerce and interactive marketing solutions to more than 200 well-known brands and retailers across 15 merchandise categories.

In addition, GSI successfully completed the acquisition of Rue La La.

GSI net revenue: $1.358 billion. Employees: 5,616.

Partner of choice for all major professional sports leagues.

Rubin added the NBA’s online stores to GSI’s licensed sports footprint, emerging as the leading e-commerce partner for all major U.S. professional sports leagues.

GSI acquired Accretive Commerce, adding significant scale to GSI’s infrastructure and expanding its growing client base. To support the volume and complexity of business, GSI built a state-of-the-art, highly automated 540,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Richwood, KY. By the end of the year, GSI operated six fulfillment centers in the United States with approximately 2.5 million square feet.

GSI net revenue: $750 million. Employees: 3,600.

Rubin wins category leaders as major clients.

Rubin added Toys”R”Us to GSI’s client roster in 2006. Toys”R”Us’ fully functional e-commerce site was built and launched in 90 days—a remarkable achievement.

The NFL drafted GSI Commerce to power the “NFL Shop”—the league’s official direct-to-consumer business partnering Rubin and GSI with four of the top five professional U.S. sports leagues.

GSI net revenue: $609.6 million. Employees: 2,046.

Rubin scores pro sports hat trick, adding NHL to MLB and NASCAR.

GSI made a power play when the NHL signed with GSI to provide e-commerce technology, order processing, customization, fulfillment, customer care and marketing services agency for their online store.

In addition, following Rubin’s continued push into international e-commerce, GSI entered into an agreement to acquire Aspherio, S.L., a Barcelona-based e-commerce provider. This acquisition provided GSI with the platform to expand its international business.

GSI net revenue: $440 million. Employees 1,644.

Rubin hits home run with MLB.com and top online retailers.

MLB.com selected GSI to develop and operate its new e-commerce store, along with the 30 official Major League Baseball club websites.

With Rubin’s continued focus on new lines of business, it was no surprise that in 2004 GSI was the e-commerce business of choice for 27 of the top 300 online retailers in the United States.

GSI net revenue: $335.3 million. Employees: 1,270.

Rubin goes pro and global.

Rubin signed Turner Sports Interactive to operate NASCAR’s online store on the GSI platform; marking the company’s first e-commerce partnership with a major professional sports league.

He also lead the launch of GSI’s first international website and continued to push GSI to expand into additional product lines and categories.

GSI net revenue: $241.9 million. Employees: 1,034.

Celebrating the first $100 million.

Rubin pushed Global Sports past familiar territory, paving the way for expansion beyond sporting goods. In 2001, the company offered e-commerce solutions to companies in new categories.

By 2001, the company had secured partnerships with the top three leading sporting goods retailers: The Sports Authority, Gart Sports and Dicks Sporting Goods.

A great year: net revenue exceeded $100 million, doubling the figure from the previous year.

Global Sports Net revenue: $102.6 million. Employees: 467.

An entrepreneur brings e-commerce to the masses.

At a time when dot com companies were beginning to implode, Rubin embraced the web’s strengths and coupled it with what he saw as a unique market niche for a true hybrid Internet business model. Rubin’s vision would be a first for the sporting goods industry and an innovative approach to online retailing.

Rubin realized that traditional sporting goods retailers had many inherent advantages integral to successful e-commerce, such as well-recognized brand names, solid relationships with vendors who had access to merchandise, substantial marketing budgets and large, loyal customer bases. In short amount of time, Rubin had landed agreements with several branded names in the sporting goods industry, including The Sports Authority, the largest full-line sporting goods retailer at that time, marking the beginning of a movement. With Rubin at the helm, the world’s great bricks-and-mortar stores would soon have a partner to drive them into the digital age.

For more about Rubin’s early years—including how we started his first business at age 12, closing deals on the phone to mask his age and keeping the entrepreneurial fire burning—dig up “Man in a Hurry: A Mogul in Sporting Goods at Age 22,” an article from The Wall Street Journal, published in 1995. Author Stephanie Mehta got it right: “It is a bold vision.” Or, check out the article “Sneaker Stud” from People Magazine. For a first-hand account, contact Kynetic.

Fanatics

The largest seller of licensed sports merchandise in the world.

Fanatics operates the official stores of the biggest names in sports, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, ESPN and more than 60 Division I athletic programs and conferences, professional sports teams and top sports media properties. With more than 150,000 items, Fanatics offers the broadest product assortment—spanning professional and collegiate teams—through league partnerships and Fanatics’ own network of sites.

Fanatics - News

• Bloomberg: Tebow Sets Jersey Sales Record for NFL Draftee, Topping Sanchez.

• Internet Retailer: NFLShop.com shows its softer side this holiday season

• Sports Business Journal: Show this e-shopper a little love

• Sports Business Journal: The sites before Christmas

• Jacksonville.com: Jacksonville-based Football Fanatics scores with $277 million sale

• Internet Retailer: N.Y. Giants go for a win with a new e-commerce vendor

• Sports Business Journal Daily: USOC turning to TeamFanShop for new online store.

• TeamFanShop: TeamFanShop Partners Dramatically Outpace Overall Growth in Online Retailing.

• AuburnTigers.com: AuburnTigers.com Unveils New Design; Auburn Athletics Partners With TeamFanShop.

• Direct Marketing News: New York Giants kick off revamped e-commerce portal.

• GoPSUsports.com: GoPSUsports.com Official Online Store Now Powered by TeamFanShop.

• PR Web: FOX Sports Joins Forces with TeamFanShop to Power Official FOX Online Stores.

• Jacksonville Business Journal: Football Fanatics triples warehouse space.

Rue La La

One of the leading members-only private-sale destinations in the U.S.

Rue La La serves approximately 4.5 million members and works with more than 1,000 leading brands. Founded in 2008, Rue La La inspires its members daily with access to a curated selection of the most coveted brands and offerings in fashion, home, beauty, travel and more within its 48-hour private-sales boutiques.

Opportunities at Rue La La

If you'd like to join us, we're always looking for smart people with charisma to spare who are passionate about premier brands at private-sale prices. Want to work here? Drop us a line at opportunities@RueLaLa.com.

Rue La La - News

• CNN Money: Insiders Guide to Online Shopping

• WSJ: How I Built It: Rue La La

• The New York Times: Retailers Retool Sites to Ease Shopping via Mobile Phone

• T Magazine: Online Shopping

• New York Post: Rue Rue La Comes to New York

• Boston.com: Rue La La is Expanding Rue Local

• Reuters: Rue La La Expands Rue Local Business

• Cosmo.com: 10 Websites that Will Change the Way you Shop Online (Slide #3)

ShopRunner

A members-only online shopping service that offers customers unlimited, free two-day shipping and free returns.

ShopRunner customers have access to the best retailers and brands. Its members also receive access to exclusive deals. ShopRunner’s growing network of 75+ partners includes Toys R Us, Sports Authority, Lord & Taylor, Newegg.com, GNC, AutoZone, Domino’s Pizza, PetSmart, drugstore.com, Barnes & Noble and eBags. Kynetic is working with ShopRunner to expand their list of strategic partners, giving members access to even more clothing, baby gear, beauty products, books, electronics, movies, sporting goods, pet supplies, toys, video games, luggage, automotive parts and more.

Opportunities at ShopRunner

If you'd like to join us in our quest to make shopping better, drop us a line at careers@shoprunner.com.

ShopRunner - News

• Internet Retailer: The Dawn of the Age of Free Shipping

• Business Wire: ShopRunner Network Continues to Expand with Seven New Retail Partners

• Real Simple: 5 Customer Loyalty Programs That Pay Off

• The Motley Fool: Will Free Pizza Delivery Be the End of Amazon?

• Real Simple: Loyal Shopper Programs

• DM News: Retailers team up to take on Amazon's Web dominance

• Wall Street Journal: Retailers Team up Against Amazon

• All Things Digital: ShopRunner Wants to Give Amazon’s Free Shipping Program a Run for Its Money

Michael R. Conn

Conn has served as chief financial officer of Kynetic since September 2011. A seasoned public company CFO, he leads Kynetic’s administrative functions and manages its investments in Fanatics, Rue La La and ShopRunner. He also serves as a director of all three companies.

Prior to Kynetic, Conn had served as chief financial officer for GSI Commerce since January 2006. He held various other positions for GSI Commerce, including strategic planning, sales and corporate development from 1999 to 2006. Before GSI Commerce, Conn was a research analyst on Wall Street, where he was recognized as an all-star stock picker by The Wall Street Journal.

Conn is a graduate of the Boston University School of Management.

Daniel J. Winters

Winters has served as general counsel and secretary of Kynetic since its inception. He leads the legal and business affairs functions at Kynetic, and brings more than 15 years of mergers and acquisitions, securities and complex commercial contracting experience to the team.

Immediately prior to joining Kynetic, Winters served as senior vice president and general counsel for business and legal affairs of GSI Commerce, Inc. a publicly-traded worldwide leader in e-commerce related services.

Prior to joining GSI in 1999, Winters practiced law with the Philadelphia-based law firm of Blank Rome LLP, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, security matters and other complex commercial matters.

Winters has a Bachelor of Arts in accounting and received his Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude. He has also been a certified public accountant since 1994.

Saj Cherian

Cherian is vice president and chief of staff to CEO Michael Rubin. As Employee Number Two, Cherian helped launch Kynetic with Rubin immediately following eBay’s acquisition of GSI Commerce in June 2011.

Cherian has more than a decade of experience building technology businesses as a venture capital investor (Valhalla Partners), mobile operating executive (Virgin Mobile USA and NBC Universal/GE) and management consultant (McKinsey & Company). Cherian works with Rubin across a number of areas for the company, including corporate and strategic business development.

A Marshall Scholar, Cherian earned a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on its Committee on Corporate Affairs.

Alan Trager

Alan Trager, founder of Fanatics, LLC, has served as CEO since 1999. Trager and his brother, Mitchell, started the company in 1995 when they opened a small brick-and-mortar team store in the Jacksonville, Fla. area. Fanatics is now the largest retailer of licensed sports merchandise in the world.

Previously, Trager was CFO of Florida-based Pick ‘n Save, a mass-merchandiser with 40 stores in the Southeast and revenues topping $300 million. In addition to his responsibilities as CFO, Trager also oversaw a number of other areas including information technology and marketing.

Trager received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1975.

Ben Fischman

Ben Fischman is chief executive officer of Rue La La, a leader in the digital private-sale space, which he launched in April of 2008. Fischman led Rue La La, along with off-price e-commerce marketplace SmartBargains.com, to acquisition by GSI Commerce in 2009. He now works with the Rubin-led team at Kynetic.

Fischman has served as CEO of Rue La La since September 2005. An original member of the startup team, he joined the company as vice president of strategic development in April 2000.

Previously, Fischman was the first entrepreneur-in-residence at General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in innovative technology-based companies.

Fischman is also the founder of Lids Corporation, an exclusive retailer of sports caps.

Fischman currently serves on the Board of Overseers at the Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Children’s Hospital Boston.

Mike Golden

Michael Golden is president of ShopRunner. Prior to joining ShopRunner, Golden had been the chairman of Complex Media since December 2007. Previously, Golden led Home Decor Products as president and CEO from July 2002 to December 2007. Before joining Home Decor Products, Golden was the co-founder and chief operating officer of GSI Commerce.

Prior to GSI, Golden served as executive vice president of corporate development and managing director of the New York office of Organic Online, Inc. (now a part of Omnicom) and was the founder and president of Organic Media, Inc. Golden also co-founded Iguana Studios Inc. and was chairman until the eventual sale of the company to Change Technology Partners.

Golden received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in politics, philosophy and economics from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. After attending Villanova University School of Law, Michael received a Juris Doctorate; he is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.

Brian L. Miles

Brian has served as director of finance since the company's founding in June 2011. Brian works with the financial leadership at each of Kynetic's investments as well as handling day-to-day administrative functions at Kynetic.

Prior to joining Kynetic, Brian was manager of corporate development and investor relations at GSI Commerce. Before GSI Commerce, Brian spent six years as an investment analyst at Emerald Asset Management, a small and mid-cap investment advisory firm.

Brian holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from Millersville University and a Masters of Accountancy from Villanova University. Additionally, Brian holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute.

Jonathan S. Schoenfeld

Jonathan has served as deputy general counsel of Kynetic since August 2011. Jonathan is an experienced business lawyer whose practice has included mergers and acquisitions, securities law, debt and equity financings, corporate governance and commercial matters.

Prior to joining Kynetic, Jonathan was associate general counsel at GSI Commerce, Inc., a publicly-traded worldwide leader in e-commerce related services. Before joining GSI, Jonathan practiced law with Ropes and Gray LLP, and Testa, Hurwitz and Thibeault LLP, where he represented technology companies as well as venture capital and private equity firms.

Jonathan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Goucher College.

Press Releases

2011

• Michael R. Conn Joins Kynetic as Chief Financial Officer

• Internet Entrepreneur Michael G. Rubin Launches Kynetic

More News

2011

• Philadelphia Business Journal: Rubin’s eBay spinoff Kynetic sets its sights on $1 billion

• TechCrunch: After eBay Acquisition, GSI Commerce Founder Launches Kynetic With Rue La La And ShopRunner On Board

• Internet Retailer: GSI Commerce founder launches a new e-retail company

• WWD: GSI Commerce Founder Launches Kynetic

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly Deals: King of Prussia's new Kynetic L.L.C. among the top private Internet firms

• Wall Street Journal: EBay Pushes Into Amazon Turf - Web Pioneer Buys GSI, Which Handles Orders for Merchants

• San Francisco Chronicle: Meet GSI Commerce, The Biggest E-Commerce Empire You've Never Heard Of (GSIC)

• Internet Retailer: GSI acquires sports e-retailer Fanatics

• Philadelphia Business Journal: GSI Commerce to pay $277M for Fanatics

2010

• The New York Times: Trust Your Instincts

• Forrester: Ten Questions for GSI’s Michael Rubin Forrester

• CBS: Michael Rubin, CEO of GSI Commerce, Goes Undercover in His Own Company, on "Undercover Boss”

2009

• The New York Times: Operator of “Private” Web Sales is Acquired

• WWD: GSI Buys Rue La La

2008

• CNBC: Bright Spot: Rubin and GSI Featured

2007

• The New York Times: Even Latecomers to Web Retailing Are Turning Profits

2006

• SmartBusiness: E-commerce king

2005

• Chief Executive Magazine: Giant Slayer

2004

• Philadelphia Inquirer: E-commerce partner invisible and growing

2002

• The New York Times: Still Alive and Growing Online, Without Fanfare

2001

• Internet Retailer: 5 Who Made a Difference

1995

• People Magazine: Sneaker Stud: Michael Rubin Is a Self-Made Millionaire; When He Grows Up, He Wants to Be a Billionaire