Co-founders of Amsterdam-based House of Einstein announce departure: Know more

Jantien Herfst and Mei Ling Tan, the co-founders of Amsterdam-based House of Einstein, a personal online shopping service for men, announced in a LinkedIn post their departure from the company effective June 1. 

The co-founders didn’t mention the exact reason behind the departure. 

Reflecting on the experience of growing the business from an initial creative idea into a fully functioning enterprise, the departing co-founders commented on the all-encompassing nature of being an entrepreneur. 

“As an entrepreneur, you breathe your business, you know all the angles and processes, influencing with your decisions but just as much with your presence,” shares Mei Ling Tan in her LinkedIn post. 

“It was a great honor to work for so many consumers and retailers. Of the 10 years, I worked 5 myself as a personal shopper. In every box to this day, I’ve tried to leave an autograph (if only because I still bought every piece of clothing). My day started with Google Reviews, every word touched me and motivated me to improve processes,” she adds. 

Over the past 12 months, the House of Einstein has undergone several major transitions, including the opening of an automated warehouse in Lisse and the launch of personal shopping services for women. 

“We have created a great consumer product and also developed a software platform that not only House of Einstein but many E-commerce companies have benefited from. Last year, 2 major projects were completed: a hypermodern warehouse (that’s what Ling always calls it) was built and a clothing box for women was launched. In short, the time is ripe to hand it over,” says Jantien Herfst in her LinkedIn post. 

With the departure of Herfst and Ling Tan, the company will now be led by Olav Westerwoudt and Lonneke Timmerman, who are said to have “great plans” for the next phase of the business.

Looking to the future Ling Tan says, “What’s next? I take the summer to enjoy our first business. And then what? Salaried employment, investing, M&A, or starting again. Good ideas are always welcome, so from June 1st I have plenty of time for a cup of coffee. Feel free to reach out!”

House of Einstein

Founded in 2012 by Jantien Herfst and Mei Ling Tan after studying at TU Delft, House of Einstein is the first online personal shopping service for men in The Netherlands. 

The idea was to make sure that men can quickly and efficiently buy clothes that fit them well. 

Through an intake by phone or Skype, men receive a box of clothes at home, hand-picked by the Outfitter. 

House of Einstein’s collection consists of more than 30 premium brands like Gant, Filippa K, and Tommy Hilfiger, and is working with a lot of Dutch up-and-coming brands like On Tour, MUD Jeans, and Amsterdenim.