Mike Gettis is a Canadian businessman, entrepreneur and investor based in Toronto, Ontario.[1][2][3] He is the founder and the former CEO of Endy Sleep, a Canadian-based, e-commerce company.[4][5] He is also the co-founder and the current CEO of Kilne, a Canadian cookware company.[6] During his time at Endy, the company was named the Fastest Growing Retailer in Canada by Maclean's and Canadian Business.[7]

Mike Gettis
Born
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, investor
Years active2015–present
Known forEndy Sleep, Kilne

Early life

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Gettis was born in Calgary, Alberta.[8] He received an undergraduate degree in Computer engineering from the University of Toronto.[9] Later, he attended Vlerick Business School in Belgium where he received an MBA degree.[10]

Career

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After completing his MBA in Belgium, Gettis joined a home goods producer and distributor in Europe, where he oversaw the sales power of an in-demand product and distribution channel combined.[11] In 2011, he founded Overbrands, a collection of brands, which most notably sold 1,000,000 Somus pillows from 2011-2015. Based on the success of Overbrands, Gettis co-founded Canadian mattress brand Endy in 2015, where he served as the Founder and CEO.[12] He oversaw Endy’s business strategy, operations, company culture, growth and brand vision. In 2019, Gettis co-founded Kilne, where he serves the CEO alongside president and co-founder Noelle Hjelte.[3] Kilne is a cookware company with no traditional retail markup.[3][6]

Gettis is also an angel investor to help support entrepreneurs and their companies.[13] Gettis has supported the Black Innovation Fellowship through Ryerson University to help Black entrepreneurs.[14] He has also supported both the Furniture Bank and Second Harvest to help donate furniture and meals to those in need.[11] Gettis is also an executive contributor for the Huffington Post.[15]

Endy

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Endy was founded in 2015 by Gettis and Rajen Ruparell in Toronto, Canada as an online mattress retailer.[16][17] The company's revenue was estimated to be $1 million in 2015, $10 million in 2016 and $20 million in 2017.[16][18] Endy was sold in 2018 for $89 Million to Sleep Country Canada in one of Canada’s largest-ever e-commerce acquisitions.[19][16][20] The company has generated over $250 million in sales and has received several awards including Techweek 100 - Innovators Award and Fastest Growing Retailer in Canada.[3][21][22]

Kilne

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In 2019, Gettis and his partner Noelle Hjelte founded Kilne Cookware, a direct-to-consumer cookware company that sells cookware products online.[6][23] The company is expected to drive sales to $1 million by 2021.[6][24] Currently, Gettis serves as the CEO of the company where as Hjelte serves as the President.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Bitti, Mary Teresa (25 November 2020). "Endy founder hopes to carve out success with new venture". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 15 May 2021 – via PressReader.
  2. ^ "Mike Gettis, serial Canadian entrepreneur and e-commerce innovator shares his take on why now might be a good time to start a new business". bnnbloomberg.ca. BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Bitti, Mary Teresa (23 November 2020). "From the bedroom to the kitchen: Endy founder relying on old lessons to launch new venture during pandemic". financialpost.com. Financial Post. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  4. ^ Nowak, Peter (22 July 2016). "For online-only retailers, a pop-up shop can be a great brand-builder". www.canadianbusiness.com/. Canadian Business. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  5. ^ McCormack, Caitlin (19 September 2018). "Moving A Toddler To A 'Big Kid' Bed Isn't As Nerve-Wracking As You Think". huffingtonpost.ca. HuffPost. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e Sanderson, Vicky (16 December 2020). "Around the house: New knife brand cuts through retail layers". ottawacitizen.com. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Endy named Canada's fastest growing retail company, 4th overall, on the 2018 Startup 50" (13 September 2018). businessinsider.com. Business Insider. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  8. ^ Tripp, Fraser (9 July 2018). "Savvy Shopping with Endy Co-Founder Mike Gettis". www.vernmagazine.com. Vern. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Breaking $1 Billion - About Rajen Ruparell & Michael Gettis". dmz.ryerson.ca. The DMZ at Ryerson University. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Insights - Mike Gettis, co-founder of ENDY.com". eventsmart.com. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b Warkentin, Alec (4 July 2018). "Endy: How CEO Mike Gettis is disrupting the mattress market". calgaryjournal.ca. Calgary Journal. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  12. ^ Zubairi, Amira (27 December 2018). "Following Sleep Country acquisition, Endy's founders want to stay independent and Canadian". betakit.com. Betakit. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  13. ^ Johne, Marjo (9 May 2016). "Meet the next generation of wealth". www.theglobeandmail.com. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  14. ^ DMZ, Tech Incubator (7 October 2020). "Support for Black Innovation Fellowship continues to surpass expectations, program welcomes several new contributing partners". dmz.ryerson.ca. The DMZ at Ryerson University. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Mike Gettis Co-Founder and CEO, Endy Sleep". huffingtonpost.ca. HuffPost. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  16. ^ a b c Deschamps, Tara (30 November 2018). "Sleep Country buys Endy for $88.7 million, but the two will operate separately". financialpost.com. Financial Post. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  17. ^ Jolicoeur, Martin (29 November 2018). "Endy passe aux mains de Sleep Country". lesaffaires.com. Les Affaires. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  18. ^ Galang, Jessica (28 August 2018). "Former Blue Jays slugger José Bautista invests in Endy". betakit.com. Betakit. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  19. ^ News Staff (21 December 2018). "Sleep Country Canada acquires Bed-in-a-box maker Endy". www.rubbernews.com. Rubber & Plastics News. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  20. ^ The Canadian Press (29 November 2018). "Sleep Country Canada to acquire mattress-in-a-box retailer Endy". www.ctvnews.ca. CTV News. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Canadian Mattress Company Endy to Be Acquired by Sleep Country Canada in Landmark $89 Million Deal". businesswire.com. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  22. ^ Bernabe, Jazzie (14 June 2016). "Announcing Techweek100 Toronto 2016 – Waterloo 2016". techweek.com. TechWeek. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  23. ^ DH Toronto Staff (4 December 2020). "12 Days of Giveaways: Cook like the pros with a Kilne Cookware six-piece knife set". dailyhive.com. Daily Hive. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  24. ^ Braganza, Chantal (26 November 2020). "A New Company Promises Professional-Grade Knives For Less. I Tried Them". www.chatelaine.com. Chatelaine. Retrieved 15 May 2021.