Eddy Lu — 1661 Inc.

Co-Founder and Chief Executive

THE LATEST: In January Lu and his team secured a strategic investment from Paris-based Groupe Artemis, which owns the fine arts auction house Christie’s. Artemis is also the controlling shareholder of Kering Group, whose portfolio of brands includes Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. The deal followed a Series E funding round of $100 million that 1661 announced in 2020, which valued the company at $1.75 billion.
BACKGROUND: Lu and Daishin Sugano co-founded 1661 in 2015. The company, better known as GOAT, has raised $290 million in venture capital funding since its founding five years ago. The online marketplace for buying and selling authenticated sneakers has more than 20 million members in 164 countries. The company in 2018 acquired Fight Club, a retailer with stores in New York, Miami and Los Angeles that specializes in rare and collectible sneakers. Lu has a degree in computer science from UC Berkeley. Prior to GOAT, he worked for investment bank Lehman Brothers.
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