Platinum Equity

Otto Jostens: invented the class ring in 1897

Shaan's first 'Billy of the Week': Otto Jostens, who invented the class ring in 1897 and built the upsell machine where graduating seniors get pressured into buying a $400-$600 ring on campus to commemorate the occasion.

“this guy is kind of like my Billy of the Week. I got two very boring business people that I'm going to feature here. So the first guy is called Otto Josten, and Otto Josten is the founder of Josten's, which is the number one class ring maker. And Otto Josten, he invents the class ring basically. So he started this thing in 1897 in Ottawa, right?”