Shopify vs Teespring: Founders, CEOs and History
Shopify was founded in 2006 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, Scott Lake and is led by Tobi Lütke. Teespring was founded in 2011 by Walker Williams, Evan Stites-Clayton and is led by Aaron Day.
Company facts
Founders
Shopify
Tobias Lütke
Tobias Lütke co-founded Shopify after building the Snowdevil snowboard store in Ruby on Rails in 2004. He has led Shopify as CEO since 2008 and holds a founder share that gives him about 40% of total voting power.
Daniel Weinand
Daniel Weinand co-founded Shopify and served as Chief Design Officer and later Chief Culture Officer, shaping the early storefront themes and user interface.
Scott Lake
Scott Lake co-founded Snowdevil and Shopify and served as Shopify's first CEO until 2008, when Lütke took over. He later founded other ventures.
Teespring
Walker Williams
Walker Williams co-founded Teespring in 2011 with Evan Stites-Clayton and led it as CEO through its Y Combinator and venture-funded growth years. He later stepped back from the role.
Evan Stites-Clayton
Evan Stites-Clayton co-founded Teespring in 2011 and worked on building the platform that let anyone sell custom apparel through pre-order campaigns.
CEOs and their tenures
Shopify
- Daniel Weinand2006–2019
Co-Founder
Designed Shopify's initial core user interface and design system, establishing the clean and intuitive visual framework that empowered millions of merchants to build online stores.
Source - Tobias Lütke2008–present
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder, original engineer and CEO since 2008, Lütke has guided Shopify from a snowboard-store codebase to a platform with $11.56 billion of 2025 revenue.
Source - Harley Finkelstein2020–present
President
Joined in 2010 and became President in 2020; leads commercial operations, partnerships and public communication.
Source - Jeff Hoffmeister2022–present
Chief Financial Officer
Former Morgan Stanley banker who joined as CFO in 2022 and oversaw the return to double-digit free cash flow margins.
Source
Teespring
- Aaron Day
Chief Executive Officer, Amaze Holdings
Took the business public as Amaze Holdings (NYSE American: AMZE).
Source - Walker Williams2011–2017
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer (20112017)
The founding who created the social commerce crowdfunding category and established custom apparel as an accessible online asset class.
Source - Chris Lamontagne2018–present
Former Chief Executive Officer
Repositioned Teespring around creator merchandise.
Source
Timeline: Shopify and Teespring side by side
2004Shopify
Snowdevil Snowboard Store Engineered
Tobias Lütke builds a custom Ruby on Rails shopping platform to sell snowboards online after rejecting clunky legacy e-commerce tools.
2006Shopify
Commercial Launch of Shopify
Lütke, Lake, and Weinand officially launch Shopify in Ottawa, offering subscription-based storefronts to small business entrepreneurs.
2009Shopify
Shopify API & App Store Ecosystem
Shopify introduces its developer API and App Store, sparking a large global developer ecosystem that builds thousands of custom merchant extensions.
2011Teespring
Teespring founded
Walker Williams and Evan Stites-Clayton launched a pre-order model for custom T-shirts.
2013Shopify
Launch of Shopify Payments
Shopify launches integrated payment processing, capturing a lucrative percentage fee on global Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV).
2013Teespring
Y Combinator
Teespring went through Y Combinator.
2014Teespring
Venture rounds
Raised a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and a $35 million Series B led by Khosla Ventures.
2015Shopify
Dual TSX and NYSE Initial Public Offering
Shopify completes its dual IPO in Toronto and New York under ticker SHOP, raising $131 million to fuel international merchant expansion.
2017Shopify
Shop Pay Accelerated Checkout Introduced
Shopify releases Shop Pay, providing accelerated one-click checkout conversion across millions of storefronts and merchant apps.
2018Teespring
YouTube merch shelf
Became a launch partner for YouTube's merchandise shelf beneath creator videos.
2021Teespring
Rebrand to Spring
Teespring rebranded as Spring to reflect products beyond T-shirts.
2023Shopify
Divestiture of Logistics Arm Deliverr
Shopify divests its capital-intensive fulfillment network to Flexport, shedding heavy logistics overhead and refocusing on high-margin software and enterprise retail.
2023Teespring
Warehouse closure
Spring closed its production warehouse and laid off staff, according to Business Insider.
2025Shopify
Surpassing $11.55 Billion in Annual Revenue
Shopify reports $11.556 billion in revenues, $1.231 billion in net income, and transfers its primary US stock listing to Nasdaq under ticker SHOP.
2025Teespring
Public via Fresh Vine Wine
Fresh Vine Wine completed its acquisition of Amaze Software (Spring, Teespring Marketplace) in March 2025 and renamed itself Amaze Holdings (AMZE).
2026Shopify
Q2 2026 Growth Accelerates
Shopify reports 34% revenue growth and $115.6 billion of GMV for Q2 2026, after authorizing a $2 billion share buyback in February.
2026Teespring
Q2 2026 update
Amaze reported Q2 revenue of about $0.6 million (+32% QoQ) and a narrower net loss of about $4.4 million.
Acquisitions
Shopify
- Deliverr2022$2.1B
- Handshake2019Undisclosed
- 6 River Systems2019$450M
- Boltmade2016Undisclosed
- Kit CRM2016Undisclosed
- Tiny Hearts2016Undisclosed
Questions about Shopify vs Teespring
Who is the CEO of Shopify Inc. and Teespring (Spring by Amaze)?
Shopify Inc. is led by Tobi Lütke and Teespring (Spring by Amaze) is led by Aaron Day. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Shopify Inc. founded vs Teespring (Spring by Amaze)?
Shopify Inc. was founded in 2006 — 5 years before Teespring (Spring by Amaze), which was founded in 2011. Shopify Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Teespring (Spring by Amaze).
How many employees does Shopify Inc. have compared to Teespring (Spring by Amaze)?
Shopify Inc. employs approximately 7,600 people. A verified employee count for Teespring (Spring by Amaze) is not currently available.
Where are Shopify Inc. and Teespring (Spring by Amaze) headquartered?
Shopify Inc. is headquartered in Canada and Teespring (Spring by Amaze) is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Shopify Inc. and Teespring (Spring by Amaze)?
Shopify Inc. was founded by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, Scott Lake. Teespring (Spring by Amaze) was founded by Walker Williams, Evan Stites-Clayton.
Which company has a longer operating history — Shopify Inc. or Teespring (Spring by Amaze)?
Shopify Inc. has been operating for approximately 20 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Teespring (Spring by Amaze) has been in operation for around 15 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Shopify vs Teespring overview