stephan Jacob
Co-Founder, Chief Technology & Chief Global Officer - Cotopaxi
Stephan is one of the founders of Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear brand with a deeply engrained humanitarian mission. After 10 years in the COO role, he now leads as Chief Technology & Chief Global Officer, overseeing the expansion of the brand outside the US.
Before Cotopaxi, Stephan was the founder/CEO of the venture-funded retail brand Kembrel (acquired in 2013). Prior to entrepreneurship, Stephan worked as a consultant for McKinsey, as a software developer for Bunge US, and as a software developer and advocate for the Indonesian Anti-Child Labor NGO JARAK.
Stephan holds an MBA from the Wharton School (UPenn), an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute (UPenn), and a Master in Information Systems from the University of Mannheim & the University of South Australia. Stephan has adventured, lived, and worked in 30+ countries, kayaked from Cuba to Florida & served in a special operations unit in the German military.