From all the startup jawns that can likely come from Philadelphia, maybe none is as surprising as Jenzy.

A startup that gives an online marketplace and virtual sizing device for kids’ shoes is not something you can expect from a Philadelphia company. 

The Story of Jenzy

The company, which has allocated $1.25 million from Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab, was produced of anxiety and rose on two continents.

Co-founders Eve Ackerley and Carolyn Horner met five years before in China while serving as English language teachers in the distant corners of the Yunnan region. 

Without much in the area of retail opportunities, the two women resorted to beginning much of their shopping online.

And it was while seeking shoes that they understood one of the main pain points of the online retail struggle was obtaining the right size.

When they came back to the U.S., the thought stuck with them. 

So they began out to produce an application that would be capable of size feet utilizing nothing more than a smartphone and operated with vendors to assure that women could identify their sizes and purchase the right shoes.

As the idea developed, the two first-time entrepreneurs understood that however irritating the buying process was for grown-ups, the need for adequately sized shoes and a marketplace to buy them was yet more painful among children.

The company serves with brands like Converse, Saucony, and Keds to give kids shoes that truly fit their feet. 

A child could be wearing a five in one shoe and a six in another, says Horner. 

Utilizing Jenzy, the shoes will come in the correct size for each foot. 

They operate with the suppliers to make sure that they are shipping the right size to the customer when they check out on Jenzy.

Jenzy

The Journey Since The Beginning 

The company started the initial version of its app in July 2017 and just published an update earlier this year. 

To date, Horner considers the business has sized 25,000 feet and had 15,000 downloads since May.

Horner speaks of the company’s initial days that the plan was to see if they still were excited when they got back from China.

Formerly, the two partners operated out of Ackerley’s parents’ house in California but ultimately moved to Philadelphia when the company turned to focus on children’s shoes to be near to their beta examiners — Horner’s family, who had many kids.

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