Latest news with #RafeColburn
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Etsy appoints Depop exec as CTO
This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Etsy has named Rafe Colburn as its chief technology officer, the artisan marketplace announced Thursday. He will step into the role on May 5. While Colburn is currently the chief technology and product officer at Depop, he spent nearly 10 years at Etsy. During his previous decade-long tenure, he led the company's engineering teams through various growth periods, the company said. The company has also named Peter Semple, who currently serves as the chief marketing officer of Depop, as its interim CEO as the company continues to search for a permanent chief executive. Etsy has drawn from Depop's leadership team after purchasing the resale platform in 2021 for $1.63 billion. The mostly-cash deal allowed the artisan marketplace to expand into the rapidly growing apparel recommerce market and inherit Depop's Gen Z customer base. With a new CTO managing its digital operations, Etsy's leadership shuffle continues. In December, the company announced Depop's then-CEO, Kruti Patel Goya, would become president and chief growth officer at Etsy. At that time, CTO Rachanna Kumar left the company, along with Chief Operating and Marketing Officer Raina Moskowitz. Etsy named Lanny Baker as its new chief financial officer and appointed then-chief brand officer Brad Minor as Moskowitz's successor. 'During his time at both Depop and Etsy, Rafe has proven he can set a technical strategy that enables us to scale our impact and connect more buyers with our global community of sellers,' Josh Silverman, CEO of Etsy, said in a statement. 'He has a clear vision for creating shopping experiences that are highly differentiated, personalized, and relevant.' Etsy's CTO announcement may signal the company's intentions with AI. In a statement, Colburn noted that the rapid maturation of artificial intelligence presents 'an incredible opportunity for us to transform the shopping experience, engage with buyers in more meaningful ways, and create more economic opportunities for our sellers.' In January 2024, Etsy debuted a gift recommendation tool that uses AI to suggest presents based on the occasion and the gift recipient's personality. Later that year, the company launched an ad campaign addressing artisan's AI anxieties. Meanwhile, its sister company, Depop, introduced a generative AI-powered tool last year to help sellers create product descriptions. In Etsy's fourth quarter earnings report, the company reported a 6.8% decline in gross merchandise sales year over year to $3.7 billion, and its active sellers fell 10% year over year to 8.1 million in Q4. Total revenue was up 1.2% for the quarter to $852 million and net income was up 56% to nearly $130 million. Recommended Reading Walgreens slashes dividend as US retail drags in Q1 Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shapermint Launches Size-inclusive Shapewear Collection at Walmart
Shapermint, one of the largest size-inclusive shapewear and intimates brands in the U.S., is launching a curated collection at Walmart. Starting Tuesday, it will be on and in over 350 physical locations, with plans to scale in the fall. More from WWD Rafe Colburn Returns to Etsy as Chief Technology Officer Aussie Brand Camilla Opens First New York Boutique on Madison Avenue, Expanding U.S. Presence Agua Bendita and Hawaiian Tropic Launch Limited-edition Vacation-inspired Capsule Collection 'After successfully building a digital-first brand with 12 million online customers, expanding into Walmart marks a major milestone for us to serve even more customers,' said Massimiliano Tirocchi, cofounder and chief marketing officer at Shapermint. 'Shapermint Core brings our most-loved shaping essentials to even more women, ensuring they have access to the comfort and support they need every day.' Shapermint Core will be introduced with a curated, seven-piece collection that includes a wireless shaping bra, a high-waisted shaping pant, boyshort and shorts, a shaping bodysuit and shaping tights and cami. The color palette features such neutrals as black, chocolate, oatmeal, latte and white. Sizes range from small to 4XL, and retail prices go from $14.98 to $27.98. 'We curated these styles in response to a growing demand for shaping solutions that seamlessly fit into daily life without causing any discomfort,' said Gabrielle Richards, brand director of Shapermint. 'This collection reflects our commitment to inclusivity, ensuring every woman feels supported, confident, and empowered in her wardrobe.' Shapermint is available with a different collection in Nordstrom and Belk, and online at QVC and Macy's. The Walmart product features the same quality and comfort, according to the shapewear company. Best of WWD Victoria's Secret Plans to Repurchase $250M in Stock; Reaffirms Guidance As Fashion and TV Get Closer, Coco de Mer Partners With 'Killing Eve' Viral Lingerie Brand Parade Opens First Store
Associated Press
27-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Etsy Appoints Rafe Colburn as Chief Technology Officer
BROOKLYN, N.Y., March 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ETSY), which operates two-sided online marketplaces that connect millions of passionate and creative buyers and sellers around the world, today announced the appointment of Rafe Colburn as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective May 5, 2025. Colburn brings a wealth of technology leadership experience to the role. He currently serves as Chief Technology & Product Officer at Depop, where he has successfully scaled the technology team to support rapid growth and transformed the customer experience to one that is more app-based and discovery-centric. Prior to Depop, Colburn spent nearly 10 years at Etsy, where he led engineering teams during periods of significant growth and transformation across a wide range of critical areas, including ads, marketing technology, seller experience, trust & safety, localization and translation, and customer support. 'The magic of Etsy lies in our ability to leverage technology to forge meaningful human connections,' said Josh Silverman, Chief Executive Officer of Etsy. 'During his time at both Depop and Etsy, Rafe has proven he can set a technical strategy that enables us to scale our impact and connect more buyers with our global community of sellers. He has a clear vision for creating shopping experiences that are highly differentiated, personalized, and relevant. I am thrilled to officially welcome Rafe to Etsy's executive leadership team as we work to reignite growth and solidify Etsy as the starting point for special.' 'I'm honored to take on this role and work alongside Etsy's talented team,' said Rafe Colburn. 'The technology landscape is particularly dynamic right now; AI is maturing at a rapid pace, presenting an incredible opportunity for us to transform the shopping experience, engage with buyers in more meaningful ways, and create more economic opportunities for our sellers.' Colburn will be based out of Etsy's Brooklyn, NY headquarters. He will report to Etsy's CEO Josh Silverman and be part of Etsy's Executive Team. Additionally, Peter Semple has been appointed interim CEO of Depop, also effective May 5, 2025. Semple currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Depop and has been with the brand since 2019. As previously announced, Depop's current CEO, Kruti Patel Goyal, is transitioning to the role of President and Chief Growth Officer at Etsy. Semple will lead Depop on an interim basis until the company identifies its next leader. Rafe Colburn Biography Rafe Colburn currently serves as Chief Technology & Product Officer at Depop. In this role, he is responsible for Depop's product & design function, driving the vision for Depop's end-to-end user experience while building a high-performing product organization. Prior to Depop, Colburn served as Vice President of Engineering at Etsy, and was responsible for Etsy's Ads, Fulfilment, Seller Experience, Marketing Technology, and Landing Experience teams. During his tenure, he established Etsy's Data Engineering team, and was responsible for Payments and Checkout, Compliance, International, Member Services, and Trust & Safety engineering. Earlier in his career, Colburn was the Principal Engineer at IDology and worked as a consultant at a number of firms building custom applications. He has authored numerous articles, papers, and books on Web development. About Etsy Etsy, Inc. operates two-sided online marketplaces that connect millions of passionate and creative buyers and sellers around the world. These marketplaces share a mission to 'Keep Commerce Human,' and we're committed to using the power of business and technology to strengthen communities and empower people. Our primary marketplace, is the global destination for unique and creative goods. Buyers come to Etsy to be inspired and delighted by items that are crafted and curated by creative entrepreneurs. For sellers, we offer a range of tools and services that address key business needs. Etsy, Inc.'s 'House of Brands' portfolio also includes fashion resale marketplace Depop, and Reverb, the largest online marketplace dedicated to music gear. Each Etsy, Inc. marketplace operates independently, while benefiting from shared expertise in product, marketing, technology, and customer support. Etsy was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Etsy has used, and intends to continue using, its Investor Relations website and the Etsy News Blog ( to disclose material non-public information and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, you should monitor our investor relations website and the Etsy News Blog in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, and public conference calls and webcasts. Investor Relations Contact: Deb Wasser, Vice President, Investor Relations Sarah Marx, Senior Director, Investor Relations Media Relations Contact: Kelly Clausen, Vice President, Communications & Community Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains or references forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements relating to the timing of the Executive Team changes and Etsy's strategy for reigniting growth. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as 'could,' 'expect,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'plan,' 'will,' or similar expressions and derivative forms and/or the negatives of those words. Forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expect. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: (1) the level of demand for our services or products sold in our marketplaces and our ability to support our growth; (2) our ability to reignite growth and solidify Etsy as the starting point for special; (3) the importance to our success of the trustworthiness of our marketplaces and our ability to attract and retain active and engaged communities of buyers and sellers; (4) our failure to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations; (5) macroeconomic events that are outside of our control; (6) our ability to recruit and retain employees; (7) our ability to compete effectively; and (8) our ability to enhance our current offerings and develop new offerings to respond to the changing needs of sellers and buyers. These and other risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the section entitled 'Risk Factors' in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and subsequent reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, achievements, or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will occur. Forward-looking statements represent our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. We disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
