Editor's note: Each year, DC Inno and the Washington Business Journal spotlight some of the region’s top young innovators under the age of 25, and this year we’re featuring a diverse group of nine disruptors, philanthropists and venture capital enthusiasts determined to shake up the status quo. Click here to read the other profiles.
Claire Lee, founder and CEO, Selleb
- Age: 23
- Hometown: Chicago
- College: Georgetown University, class of 2025
- Major: Finance
- First job: Babysitter and tutor for two boys
Tell us a bit about your business: Today, sponsored content and bot-generated reviews dominate the shopping landscape. At Selleb, we are building a community where every recommendation carries the weight of proof: a tangible receipt behind a real person. Our platform empowers the individual to become a trustworthy tastemaker, democratizing influence. Every purchase is a springboard for a new conversation.
What was your inspiration for idea? My sister [co-founder Chloe] and I have been obsessed with fashion all our lives. Since we were 12-13 years old, we have tried on many different hats in fashion: second-hand clothing businesses, wholesale fashion, fashion columnists for our high school paper, fashion blogging, and even fashion modeling. As bloggers, we would often tout products that were sent to us for free. Our Instagram profiles became cesspools for product placement. If we were promoting products we didn’t truly love, then what was everyone else doing? Probably the same thing, on a bigger scale. Instagram feeds today are flooded with sponsored content and targeted ads. Where is the trust? It didn’t exist. Selleb was born out of our own need to find raw intel around products.
Who are your customers? Right now, we are targeting Gen Z/Gen Alpha product junkies.
How will the business generate revenue? We will operate as a marketplace by working directly with brands and owning the shopping experience end-to-end. We’ll take transaction and hosting fees, among other revenue streams.
What funding have you received to date? Mostly bootstrapped and small checks from angels, including Imran Khan (Snap, Verishop) and Steph Korey (Away).
Proudest accomplishment? A few weeks before my junior fall at Georgetown in 2021, I decided to leap outside the identity entirely defined by obligations. On my scorecard of fulfilling expectations set by others, I was thriving but not really internally. Breaking my apartment lease in D.C., printing return labels for my finance books, and submitting a leave of absence letter, I went to live on a couch in my sister’s apartment to chase our pipe dream of turning a Covid idea into a fashion resale empire. By December 2021, my sister and I would conduct our first beta drop for Selleb, selling out of every item and thus bringing angel and venture capital investors to the negotiation table. This journey did not just sustain us through the pandemic, it redefined our definition of what it means to be successful. For me, success is having the courage to take detours or do things differently.
Where do you see yourself five years from now? I see myself having built a trusted community of shoppers with Selleb, reaching more than 100 million users.
What advice do you have for other young entrepreneurs? The most unlikely people often turn out to be the most helpful. And sometimes, those you think will be the most helpful are not. Always be game to meeting new people who may unlock doors for you.
