Jesse Cole
Stephen Ippolito
George Hornig
Laura Moore
We are the Seed Lab.
Jesse Cole
Founding Partner and Vice Chairman
A born-and-bred New Yorker, after 17 years on Wall Street, Jesse founded IBS – a boutique investment platform that was sold to Merlin in 2009 (which then sold to Wells Fargo in 2012 for $315M). He then helped launch Haute Hippie, a premium womenswear brand sold globally via owned retail, DTC and wholesale. Jesse became the CEO and Chairman of Haute Hippie in 2012, leading the company to a successful exit to Hilco Brands in 2016. As an early Investor/Advisor, Jesse has worked with and/or invested in Autumn Entertainment, Beach Whiskey, Continuity Logic, Fuck Jerry/Civil, Naked Brands, Pop Up Mob, Something Navy, Stojo, Underalls and Wheels Up.
Stephen Ippolito
Founding Partner and CEO
Stephen is the former President, board member and investor in Bandier, a women’s multi-branded distribution platform selling goods globally via owned retail, DTC and wholesale. After selling a large minority position to Eurazeo in 2019, Stephen continued to invest and then co-founded The Seed Lab. In addition, capitalizing on his more than 10 years of banking experience, Stephen founded Veritus, an advisory firm focused on the consumer goods and services sector. Representative clients include Alterna, Billabong, Chaser, Del Toro, Joe’s Jeans, Tomorrow Showroom, Fender, Frame Denim, Penny Skateboards, Perfumania, Planet Blue, and Roots Canada.
George Hornig
Founding Partner and Chairman
Co-Founder of Wasserstein Perella, George is a former C-Suite Leader at Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and PineBridge (AIG Investments). An active early-stage investor for over three decades, George was co-founder of Office Tiger (sold to RR Donnelley for $250M in 2006), Cloud Blue (sold to Ingram Micro for $45 million in 2013) and Xometry (most recent capital raise at large multiple). George is a director of the US Coalition on Sustainability as well as an early Investor/Advisor in Babiators, Copper, Ready Set Jet, Stojo, StoryFile, Syntax, Trinity Cyber, and VNTANA.
Laura Moore
Partner
Over 35 years of experience in the finance industry. Top producer and Chairman club member of Dean Witter. Director of Capital Introductions for Societe General Corporate and Investment Banking. Advised hedge fund clients on key features of asset-raising strategies, fund and fee structure offerings, IR staffing, seed opportunities, and market trends.
Jesse Cole
Stephen Ippolito
George Hornig
Laura Moore
The Seed Lab is a Consumer Impact Fund.
Consumer
Impact
Fund
Sustainability:
Social / corporate governance:
Access:
The Story
The Seed Lab is an early-stage consumer venture capital fund based in New York City. In an age when investors have been obsessed with unicorns, we’re focused on realistic growth and valuations. In a market where capital is seeking brands targeting Millennial and Gen-Z consumers, we’re organized around the values that matter most to these generations. In an era of uncertainty, we have the expert operating knowledge of three generations of founders steering the ship, and an extensive network of world-class service professionals in digital marketing, strategy, branding, social media, recruiting and other critical needs typically required by early stage firms. We call it Investing Re-Invented.
Interview with George Hornig
Watch the Interview >Interview with Stephen Ippolito
Read the SEEDLAB Story >Interview with Jesse Cole
Read the SEEDLAB Story >Making Headlines
Focus on Young Investors
At The Seed Lab we are committed to educating “early stage” investors about early stage investing. The largest inter-generational transfer of wealth in world history is upon us. Investing in the private markets like early stage venture capital shouldn’t be a magical mystery tour.
At The Seed Lab we are working with our young associates to design programs for Gen Z and Millennials who want to learn the ins and outs of early stage venture investing. This asset class offers valuable portfolio diversification but also affords the opportunity to help fund businesses which can change the world for the good while simultaneously generating good profits.
Glossary of Terms
