About Greenvelope

A Seattle start-up helping to make a difference

Greenvelope strives to deliver the most elegant electronic invitation service by emulating the experience of opening a “traditional” printed invitation. By creating a positive online experience, we hope more hosts will consider sending invitations electronically for formal events – to help save trees, and additionally save time and money. To express our commitment towards this goal, we donate a significant percentage of every sale to Mountains to Sound, a non-profit organization that maintains forests. Together we can "invite" a greener future.

Founder, Sam Franklin

I have always been an outdoor enthusiast. Growing up in Seattle provided me the opportunity to experience hiking, biking, fishing, camping – and enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. This love of the outdoors fueled my passion for Greenvelope, my start-up that provides an eco-friendly alternative to "traditional" printed invitations.

Each year, millions of electronic invitations are sent through services cluttered with advertisements. Lacking traditional design choices and desiring to avoid advertisements, most hosts find minimal online options, so consequently order traditional paper invitations. My goal is to fill a void within the landscape of current services by offering a formal, advertisement free web-product appealing to formal events such as weddings or corporate gatherings.

View Interviews with Sam

Going Green

You Save Trees
According to the US Census, there are over 2.3 million weddings every year, and the average number of guests at a wedding is 178 people. Therefore, approximately 409 million wedding invitations are sent every year! A tree produces 8,500 pieces of paper. If paper invitations were sent for every wedding, about 48,000 trees must be cut down every year. Help SAVE TREES by choosing Greenvelope.

We Make Donations
For every package purchased, Greenvelope donates a significant percentage to Mountains to Sound, an environmentally conscious non-profit organization that shares our goals and values. Soon, customers will be able to choose where to make a donation from several partner charities. Thank you for helping to make a difference. Learn More about Mountains to Sound.

The Team

Kyle, Chief Technology Officer
Kyle has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the improved and expanded version of our product. With Kyle's business background, he has a thorough understanding of the Greenvelope vision and is able to add his own creative flare to proposed functionality. His wife and 3 young children keep him occupied when he's not busy coding.

Lauren, Production Design Manager
Lauren is a Seattle native with a knack for design and aesthetic. She is responsible for discovering new designers for Greenvelope’s ever-growing collection. Lauren has a degree in Art History and Non-profit Management from Seattle University, and has a long-standing history of philanthropic work with a variety of organizations in the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time Lauren is a concert enthusiast and music blogger.

Roy, New Business Development
Roy comes to us all the way from the distant lands of Israel. After serving for three years in the army and attending school two years at the University of Arizona, Roy is continuing his undergraduate education at Columbia University, planning to major in Finance and Computer Science. Roy's experience with service, technology and his diverse point of view support Greenvelope's agenda of creating a green and sustainable solution for an age-old tradition.

David, Guest Experience Developer
David specializes in ensuring the guest experience is smooth and intuitive. He is the developer behind the spinning envelope animation that helps set Greenvelope apart from its competitors. He is always proposing new ideas to further differentiate our product through better user experience. David graduated cum laude from NYU with a degree in Information Systems.

Yena, Design Consultant
Yena is responsible for the entire “look and feel” of the new Greenvelope site. She is based in London and has extensive website design experience. Yena works closely with the founder, Sam, to design new features and long-term plans for the Greenvelope interface.

Kerry, Press Specialist
With a degree in English and Advertising from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Kerry has the ability to clearly convey the Greenvelope message to the media. Kerry’s passion for living green, along with her previous PR experience give her an excellent foundation to help put Greenvelope’s name in local and national print and online media outlets.

A Special Thanks!

Craig Kaminer
As the founder of his own marketing firm in St. Louis, Craig has played a key role in helping develop the Greenvelope brand. He has worked with a range of clients from startups to large corporations. His broad perspective and ongoing advice has been a tremendous asset to Greenvelope.

Amine Fayad
Many thanks to Amine for the countless hours devoted to developing Greenvelope in the early stages. With over 10 years of expertise in developing robust web applications, Amine brought a unique combination of business experience and development skills to the table.

Zak Freer
In 2008, Zak was the first member to come on board when Greenvelope was only an idea. He had the willingness to take on the role as project manager with optimism of turning a vision into a reality. Zak is now attending dentistry school in Baltimore, but we will always remember how he played a key role in naming Greenvelope and launching our first product.

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