Kickstarter: Perry Chen (2018)

How I Built This · 31 Dec 2018 · 40m

What this episode covers

Perry Chen, co-founder of Kickstarter, explains how the platform evolved from a 2002 idea about funding creative projects to its 2009 launch, emphasizing the 8-year development period and the decision to remain a public benefit corporation rather than pursuing aggressive venture capital growth. He details the platform's 5% fee structure, the strategic decision to implement stricter review processes for physical product campaigns to manage backer expectations, and the milestone of surpassing $3 billion in pledges. The episode also features a postscript on Dustin Hogard, who co-designed the Wazoo survival belt, discussing the challenges of custom manufacturing miniature components and fulfilling a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $100,000.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

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    Chris Gammell, co-founder of CrowdSupply, explains how the platform differentiates itself from Kickstarter by vetting creators and handling fulfillment to ensure 100% delivery rates. He details the company's founding story, which was inspired by early crowdfunding failures, and discusses their logistics, pricing strategies, and post-campaign supply chain management. Gammell also introduces his side project, the Stenosaurus, an open-source stenography keyboard designed to make professional transcription more accessible.

  • Thoroughly Considered · 46m

    62: Ten Years

    Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat celebrate the 10th anniversary of their original Glif Kickstarter campaign, reflecting on a decade of intentional, small-scale growth. They discuss the evolution of their product line from the Glif and Cosmonaut to software like Framographer and Simple Bracket, and physical goods like pins. The founders highlight their strategy of remaining 'out of their depth' during manufacturing, using the Cosmonaut tip failure as a key example of how rigorous quality control defines their partnership. They also touch on cultural milestones, including a White House press release and appearances at MacWorld, while drawing parallels between their journey and the recent success of Widgetsmith.

  • Core77 Podcast · 1h 00m

    Afterschool Podcast, Episode 5 - StudioNeat (9/16)

    Dan Provost and Tom Gerhardt, co-founders of Studio Neat, discuss their journey from the first Kickstarter project, Glif, to their latest hardware release, the Neat Ice Kit. They explain their minimalist Kickstarter strategy, which avoids complex pledge tiers and stretch goals to ensure focus on delivery, and share lessons learned from manufacturing delays with the Cosmonaut stylus. The conversation also covers their design philosophy, their views on the iPhone 5C and iOS 7, and their approach to remote collaboration.

  • Being an Engineer · 46m

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  • Thoroughly Considered · 49m

    134: Kevin Kelly Remains Undefeated

    Dan Provost, co-founder of Studio Neat, discusses his new custom guitar company, Offkilter Guitars, detailing the transition from hobbyist to small business, including sourcing parts from Warmouth and managing a fragmented manufacturing process. Myke Hurley shares insights from his successful Kickstarter campaign for 'Designed in California,' a historical podcast series with Jason Snell, explaining how pre-selling memberships helped fund ambitious production goals and overcome subscription fatigue.

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