Hey Gorgeous!

Hey Gorgeous! is an e-commerce company focusing on "plus-sized" women.

As of November 2015, the company has 3,500 paying customers in 32 countries, and is doing revenues of $60,000 per month.

"Plus size" clothing is a term given to garments for people whose bodies are bigger than average. According to "PLUS Model" magazine, that means sizes 12 to 24.

According to the industry analyst firm Plunkett Research Ltd., women wearing size 14 and up account for 67 percent of the population. And the NPD Group reported that plus-size clothing sales grew more than 5 percent from May 2013 to April 2014, going from $16.7 billion to $17.5 billion.

The women's "plus" category acts more like a niche, and vendors that understand, respect and cater to this audience can develop sticky relationships with their customers.

While two thirds of America woman are "plus sized," the market has been neglected by designers and retailers alike.

Designers and manufacturers see the opportunities, but according to Hey Gorgeous!, they are concerned about the stigma associated with the plus customer.

As The New York Times has said, plus-size clothing has "long been characterized by down-market, back-of-the-store racks of drab tent-dresses, garishly decorated blouses and polyester pants. The uniformly dark colors and generous silhouettes serve the sole purpose of covering up and deflecting attention from the body."

As a content destination as well as an online retailer, Hey Gorgeous! provides options for the pent-up demand for plus size, fashion-forward trends.

The company sources, manufactures and sells contemporary clothing created by leading apparel designers from around the world.

Customers in this market tend to be willing to provide a variety of personal information -- from education and income level to fashion preferences -- in exchange for more targeted selections. With time, Hey Gorgeous aims to use a variety of data tools to target customers more effectively, and thus, more accurately forecast inventory acquisition.

Hey Gorgeous has been featured in The New York Times, WWD, Racked.com, Huffington Post, Entertainment Tonight, and Fox News.

Team Background

David Wechsler - Co-Founder & CEO

David is a 20+ year tech start-up veteran who has founded and exited companies in internet/ecommerce and clean-tech.

He has been part of companies that have raised over combined $22 million in angel, strategic and venture capital.

He is formerly the Founder of Lanthorn Technologies, an internet-based monitoring system.

Prior to that, he was the Founder of t3, one of the world’s first internet consulting firms (acquired by iCube).

He earned his BA from Dickinson College, where he's currently a Trustee.

Aimee Cheshire - Co-Founder & President

Through the early part of her career, Aimee worked as a plus size model and product developer/buyer for a major plus size brand.

She has 10+ years in the women's fashion space, and the industry recognition of founding one of the premier "plus fashion" blogs.

She spent several years at Redcats, working in international online fashion.

Aimee is often retained in a consulting capacity by major retailers such as Macy's and Lord & Taylor.

She earned her BS from James Madison University, and a graduate degree from Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in Fashion Merchandising.

Co-Investors

Joanne Wilson

Prominent Angel Investor, known on the Web as "Gotham Gal."

VaynerRSE

Early-stage venture firm. Portfolio includes Birchbox, Coinbase, and Medium.

Archer Gray

Early-stage venture investor, largely in technology companies that are creating new opportunities from inefficient markets and industries. Portfolio companies include SeedInvest, Dealflicks and Zoopla.