Italic

Jeremy grew up in Boston attending a small entrepreneurial-focused college where he was inspired by tech culture during a winter 2013-2014 trip to San Francisco. He visited Monkey Inferno, an impressive startup office run by his eventual role model Sean, which sparked his entrepreneurial ambitions. However, he quickly learned that most startups don't operate in $200k-decorated spaces—that office was the exception, not the rule.

Jeremy started Italic about two years before this conversation with the core insight that manufacturers making products for luxury brands could sell directly to consumers at significantly lower prices. Rather than focusing on a single product category, he deliberately built horizontally from day one to avoid getting pigeonholed. The membership model was inspired by Costco's approach: charge a membership fee ($120 annually) to unlock access to factory-direct pricing.

The company launched its membership offering and began building traction through word-of-mouth and direct outreach. Jeremy leveraged podcast appearances and partnerships to acquire members, even creating promotional codes for media appearances.

The membership model resonated strongly with value-conscious consumers. Members were spending approximately $600-700 in their first six months, with members making about one order per month. This was exceptional unit economics compared to typical e-commerce benchmarks. Jeremy noted that most venture-backed e-commerce businesses appear larger than they actually are, and that bootstrapped brands often significantly outperform their venture-backed counterparts. He emphasized the importance of starting with solid unit economics rather than chasing growth at all costs.

Jeremy crossed the 10,000 member milestone and reported that "things are pretty good." He's focused on maintaining the Costco-style value proposition while avoiding the trap that plagued many subscription businesses of trying to layer on media or content initiatives, which rarely work. At 25 years old, Jeremy is building what appears to be a sustainable, profitable e-commerce platform with strong repeat purchase behavior and customer loyalty.