Custom Jewelry Goes Online for 'Generation Me' Matt Lauzon's Gemvara puts the 'me' in e-commerce.

Matt Lauzon's Gemvara puts the "me" in e-commerce.
Photo© David Lang

Matt Lauzon has made it possible for consumers to design custom jewelry without having to visit a jewelry store. His online company, Gemvara, launched last February and has experienced double-digit monthly revenue growth, received more than 1 million page views per month and enjoyed an average order price of approximately $1,000.

Some might say that creating a game-changing business plan while attending to hectic senior-year studies at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., was overly ambitious. But Lauzon had identified a pool of faculty members and like-minded entrepreneurs at Babson with whom he could exchange ideas.

Add his courses in early-stage financing and marketing, and it's clear why Lauzon was able to move the company into its office space in Lexington, Mass., a day before his 2007 graduation--and to secure $10.5 million in funding.