Hardware Podcasts

Carlton Calvin: Razor. The wild rise, collapse, and reinvention of a mobile toy empire.

How I Built This · 8 Sept 2025 · 1h 13m

What this episode covers

Carlton Calvin, co-founder of Razor, recounts his journey from chasing toy crazes like Pogs and scorpion Slammers to partnering with Gino Tsai and Robert Chen to launch the Razor scooter. He details the explosive growth to one million units a month, the sudden market collapse in 2001, and the strategic pivot to electric scooters, hoverboards, and the Ripstick that stabilized the brand. Calvin also discusses the recent impact of tariffs on his China-based supply chain and his interest in using AI to identify future consumer trends.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Razor, Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Spinmaster
Products
Ripstick, Hoverboard, Stinger, Tech Deck
Also
Gino Tsai, Robert Chen

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