Scot and Jacqueline Tatelman founded State, a premium backpack brand, after witnessing under-resourced children carrying their belongings in trash bags. Their nonprofit initially aimed to bring these kids to summer camps. To address the need for quality bags, they launched State in 2013, using profits to donate backpacks to those in need. Jacqueline became CEO in 2020, overseeing a 1,000% revenue increase. The couple remains committed to supporting educational initiatives, with Scot focusing on tutoring during the pandemic.
"Many brought all their things in trash bags or plastic Duane Reade bags," says Scot. "One time, when we were catching a train, a girl's bag ripped, so all her things were on the platform. These were kids who lived less than two miles from us in New York."
"We made the deliberate decision to focus on the premium end of the market so we would have enough margin to donate to the philanthropic efforts," Scot says.
In 2020, she decided to take on the role of CEO as State faced financial challenges, and has since increased revenues by 1,000%, rocketing the company to eight figures in revenue.
During the pandemic, Scot pivoted to focus on one-on-one tutoring to kids in New York who were falling behind academically.
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