The man who built
Ron Johnson, the former senior vice president of retail operations at the Cupertino, Calif. device manufacturer and former J.C. Penney CEO, announced today that he raised $25 million in funding for a new startup called Enjoy, which aims to provide a better customer experience for online purchases. While he didn't divulge many details in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Johnson talked about providing customers with the ability to touch and try expensive electronic goods before making a big purchase.
“That’s when you typically want something more than fast delivery; you might want a little help,” Mr. Johnson told the Journal. “There’s a place for high touch in a high-tech world.”
To date, Enjoy has raised $30 million. Venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Oak Investment Partners led its most recent $25 million round, which also included Andreessen Horowitz. The valuation was not disclosed.
In September, The Information first reported Johnson was working on a new venture, which would involve "high-end, on-demand delivery service for gadgets." The former Apple executive denied this was his goal to the Journal, stating that “we don’t need another delivery service.”
Johnson, who joined J.C. Penney as CEO in 2011 before being unceremoniously fired in April 2013 because of a 25% drop in sales, also said that he has recruited a veteran team. Among those now working for Enjoy are Jerry McDougal, a former retail executive at Apple; Tom Suiter, a former Apple creative director; and Kunal Malik, former CTO of the San Francisco 49ers and technology director at Facebook.
