Early Life and Education
Michael Rubin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 21, 1972. He grew up in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, in a Jewish family. From a young age, Rubin displayed an entrepreneurial spirit. At 12, he started a ski-tuning shop in his parents' basement. Two years later, he opened Mike's Ski and Sport, a formal ski shop, using $2,500 from his bar mitzvah gifts as seed capital. Rubin attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School and later enrolled at Villanova University but dropped out after a short time.
Rise to Success
Rubin's career took off in the athletic equipment market. He founded KPR Sports in 1993, which reached $1 million in annual sales by the time he was 21, and $50 million by 1995. He also acquired a 40% stake in Rykä, a women's athletic shoe manufacturer. In 1998, he founded Global Sports Incorporated, which became GSI Commerce. GSI Commerce provided e-commerce solutions for retailers and was later sold to eBay in 2011 for $2.4 billion, netting Rubin $150 million.
Key Business Strategies
After selling GSI Commerce, Rubin strategically repurchased Fanatics, a licensed sports merchandiser, along with Rue La La and ShopRunner. He transformed Fanatics into a global leader in licensed sports merchandise by securing exclusive licensing deals with major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. This vertical integration allowed Fanatics to control the entire process from manufacturing to retail. In 2022, Fanatics was valued at $31 billion. Rubin expanded Fanatics into collectibles, trading cards, and sports betting.
Philanthropy
Rubin is involved in various philanthropic initiatives. He is the co-founder of REFORM Alliance, an organization focused on criminal justice reform. In 2020, he founded the ALL IN Challenge, which raised over $60 million to fight food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also partnered with Make-A-Wish America.