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Kevin Lavelle
CoFounder & CEO at Harbor
Founder & Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+Main
- Apparel
- Sleep Tech
- Entrepreneur
- 📍Dallas, TX
Kevin Lavelle, the CEO and Cofounder of Harbor, brings a wealth of experience from his role as the Founder and Chairman of Mizzen+Main. Kevin invented the world’s first performance fabric dress shirt and built Mizzen+Main to hundreds of millions of dollars in omnichannel revenue. He raised a successful growth round from L Catterton, secured partnerships with world-renowned athletes like Phil Mickelson and JJ Watt, and transformed the menswear industry. Kevin is not only a dedicated entrepreneur but also a loving husband and father of two. His second startup, Harbor, is revolutionizing sleep for families with young children with a groundbreaking baby monitor and Remote Night Nanny platform.
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BOOK NOW FOR your podcast
Kevin Lavelle
CoFounder & CEO at Harbor
Founder & Chairman of the Board at Mizzen+Main
- 📍Dallas, TX
- Apparel
- Sleep Tech
- Entrepreneur
Kevin Lavelle, the CEO and Cofounder of Harbor, brings a wealth of experience from his role as the Founder and Chairman of Mizzen+Main. Kevin invented the world’s first performance fabric dress shirt and built Mizzen+Main to hundreds of millions of dollars in omnichannel revenue. He raised a successful growth round from L Catterton, secured partnerships with world-renowned athletes like Phil Mickelson and JJ Watt, and transformed the menswear industry. Kevin is not only a dedicated entrepreneur but also a loving husband and father of two. His second startup, Harbor, is revolutionizing sleep for families with young children with a groundbreaking baby monitor and Remote Night Nanny platform.
read more
As seen on
“Founded by Kevin Lavelle and Charlie Hill, Harbor emerged from Lavelle’s personal experience with existing baby monitors. Identifying gaps in the market, particularly in reliability and functionality, the co-founders set out to develop a more advanced baby monitoring system.”
“Lavelle says he started the company after buying the leading baby camera on the market, only to wake up one morning and realize it had lost connection to the corresponding app on his phone.
‘App-based systems cannot be relied upon to be a true baby monitor,’ he says.”
“Kevin Lavelle’s concept is so simple and brilliant, it’s almost frustrating that it hadn’t existed before: dress shirts equipped with the same performance technology found in athletic apparel Mizzen + Main’s shirts–manufactured entirely in America–are wrinkle-free, moisture-wicking, and stretch to fit like they’re custom-made. After washing in the machine, hang to dry and your uncreased shirt will be ready to wear in 15 minutes. Still, they look just like regular (albeit really nice) dress shirts.”
“Mr. Lavelle said that for seven years he worked with “thousands” of fabrics, cut and designed into sample shirts, which he’d try to crease, crumple and destroy in myriad ways. He’d run in his neighborhood, looking ridiculous.”
“L Catterton is making yet another investment in the online menswear sector. The consumer-focused private-equity firm has injected growth equity into Mizzen and Main LLC, with plans to fuel the menswear company’s expansion efforts.”
“Menswear trends, however, have changed in the last two years of working at home, and men are continuing to opt for performance fabrics, according to Mizzen + Main Founder Kevin LaVelle.
‘There’s no going back to the clothes that require ironing and dry cleaning all the time, that don’t stretch, that just make you feel stiff and uncomfortable,’ LaVelle told Yahoo Finance Live. ‘People have just changed their expectations.'”
“Apparel makers Mizzen and Main LLC have closed $3 million in a modest Series B round of venture funding to ramp up inventory and sales of their signature menswear, according to founder and Chief Executive Kevin LaVelle.
The Dallas, Texas-based startup is best known for combining the durable and breathable fabrics one would expect in athletic apparel with tailored looks for men. Think Nike Dri-Fit meets Brooks Brothers.”
“Mizzen+Main is known for incorporating performance fabrics into men’s dress shirts, which make them moisture-wicking and wrinkle-resistant. The brand is also proud of making all of its products in Texas, where founder Kevin Lavelle is from. Besides selling online, products are available at Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, among 300 retail locations throughout the world.”
“In his 27th year on the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson just signed the most innovative endorsement deal of his career.
Mickelson has agreed to play while wearing the button-down, long-sleeve, performance-fabric shirt that had the internet buzzing when he donned it for a practice round at the Masters. Mickelson will wear the shirt, made by Mizzen+Main, in exchange for an undisclosed stake in the company as well as cash.”
“For those days when he’s not suiting up for road games or in his #99 Texans uniform, Watt is all about comfort, practicality and, of course, style. ‘I’m originally from Wisconsin where it’s always cold. So when I got down to Houston in the heat and humidity, I was sweating every 10 seconds. And somebody sent me a Mizzen+Main shirt and I was like, this is incredible. The fabric was light and breathes which helps tremendously when you live in Texas.'”
Timeline
May 2022 - Present
Harbor
CoFounder & CEO
April 2012 - Present
Mizzen+Main
Founder & Chairman of the Board
May 2019 - May 2022
Stand Together
Senior Vice President
Apr 2010 - Jul 2012
Hunt Energy
Investment Analyst
Aug 2008 - Apr 2010
Oliver Wyman
Consultant
Ask me
| How do you build a successful startup from scratch? |
| How do you transition from one startup to another? |
| How do you balance entrepreneurship and parenthood? |
| How do you navigate the challenging fundraising environment? |
| What lessons have you learned from building a second startup? |
| What are the challenges associated with sleeplessness and sleep training? |
| How do you build a startup that makes physical products? |
| What does it take to build a brand customers love? |
| How did you secure such enormous celebrity endorsements? |
