Jay Steinfeld, a founder and CEO of Global Custom Commerce (GCC), was an early mover in e-Commerce. In 1993 he bootstrapped his website, built for just $1500 and operated from his garage, into the world’s #1 online window coverings retailer. In January 2014, GCC was sold to The Home Depot, and Jay continued on with the company until mid-2020, leading GCC as its CEO and joining the Home Depot Online Leadership Team.

Jay is an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has earned a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Houston Technology Center. Jay has spoken at national speaking engagements on topics such as corporate culture, core values, organizational design, mergers and acquisitions, disruption, and talent development. Jay has published more than 100 articles for CBS MoneyWatch and Inc.com.

Jay is currently on the Innovation Board of The XPRIZE, whose mission is to bring about “radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.” He teaches as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, serves on the Advisory Council at The University of Texas’ Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, is on multiple start-up boards, and supports numerous charities.