# Jeremy Cai

> Jeremy Cai is the founder and CEO of Italic and a cofounder of hiring software company Fountain. Raised in a Chicago manufacturing family, the Babson dropout and 2015 Thiel Fellow built Italic around partnerships with manufacturers supplying established brands. His personal website also lists founder roles at Carbon, Courtly and Tonari, alongside startup investments.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Italic
- **Organizations:** Italic, Fountain, Carbon, Courtly, Tonari, Blemish, Thiel Fellowship, Y Combinator
- **Education:** Did not graduate, Babson College, Thiel Fellowship, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Cofounded Fountain, a hiring software company in Y Combinator’s Summer 2015 batch., Received a Thiel Fellowship in 2015., Selected for the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail & Ecommerce list.

## Career timeline

- **2014** — Cofounded OnboardIQ, later renamed Fountain.
- **2015** — Became a Thiel Fellow and participated in Y Combinator Summer 2015.
- **2018** — Founded Italic; the company announced $13 million in funding in November.
- **2020** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Retail & Ecommerce.
- **2022** — Discussed opening Italic shopping beyond paid members and later acknowledged inventory and growth-spending mistakes.

## Achievements

- Cofounded Fountain, a hiring software company in Y Combinator’s Summer 2015 batch.
- Received a Thiel Fellowship in 2015.
- Selected for the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail & Ecommerce list.
- Founded Italic in 2018.
- Lists Carbon, acquired by Perplexity, and Tonari, acquired by Creative Freaks, among his founder activities.

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Italic’s annual letter, signed by Jeremy Cai and the team, described new bath and bedding products, collaborations, stock shortages, and plans to introduce collections nearly every 30 days in 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://jeremycai.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhcai/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jjeremycai
- GitHub: https://github.com/jjeremycai
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjeremycai/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jeremy-cai
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25