Spencer Hewett

Yo, have you heard of Spencer Hewett? The dude’s the real deal in retail tech. He’s like that kid who jumped into startups straight outta college, crushed it, and kept leveling up. So here’s the scoop: Spencer’s from St. Louis, studied computer engineering at Washington U, but he wasn’t about the whole traditional route. Nah, he got bored and jumped into the startup world early, landing the Thiel Fellowship back in 2012. That’s like winning the lottery for young entrepreneurs, means he was already on some advanced shit before most even knew what they wanted to do.

After that, he left school and started messing around with hardware and software, working at places like eBay and IAC on internships. Dude was always about building stuff, founded a cooling systems company called Frigid Computer and Segan Industries, just messing around with tech. But his real breakout was when he launched RADAR in 2017. This ain’t some basic retail app; it’s a big change using RFID and computer vision to totally change inventory management. Think smarter stores, less bullshit, real-time data, the kind of stuff that makes retail actually work in the 21st century.

And get this, RADAR didn’t just blow up quietly. They grabbed $30 million from heavy hitters like Founders Fund, American Eagle, and Gap. They’ve signed big deals with retailers like American Eagle Outfitters. That’s no small feat. Plus, Spencer’s been recognized everywhere, Forbes’ 30 Under 30, Business Insider’s Retail Tech Power Players, and The Information’s 50 Most Promising Start-ups. Dude’s also filed over 20 patents, so he’s clearly not just talking; he’s inventing the future.

What’s wild is, Spencer’s been involved in some serious accelerators like Y Combinator and Stanford’s StartX. Mentorship from MIT professors and a background that mixes hardware and software? That’s the special feature. He’s always been about pushing the boundaries of what tech can do, especially in retail, which is kinda boring if you think about it but also super ripe for disruption.

In short, Spencer Hewett is like that classic tech kid who saw a problem, built a crazy solution, and kept going even when most would’ve quit. His process shows he’s got fire, a real obsession with innovation, and a knack for turning ideas into legit companies that can change industries. No cap, this guy’s not just another entrepreneur. He’s building the future retail tech stack, and he’s only getting started.