Hardware Podcasts

Kickstarter: Perry Chen

How I Built This · 31 Jul 2017 · 41m

What this episode covers

Perry Chen, co-founder of Kickstarter, explains how the platform evolved from a concept born in 2001 to a reality launched in 2009, emphasizing the eight-year refinement period and the decision to maintain control rather than sell out. He details the early struggles of raising only $120,000 from angel investors like David Cross, the manual creation of a 100-page blueprint before any code was written, and the deliberate choice to keep the fee structure low and the platform open to preserve its mission. Chen also discusses the strategic pivot to add review processes for product projects to distinguish Kickstarter from a retail store, and the eventual transition to a public benefit corporation to balance shareholder interests with community impact.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Krisaka, U.S. Bank
Products
Duvaid
Also
David Cross

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