At a Glance
Kickstarter operates as a crowdfunding platform rather than a traditional venture capital firm, representing a fundamental misclassification in the query parameters. Since its 2009 founding by Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, and Charles Adler, Kickstarter has facilitated over $7 billion in pledges across more than 220,000 successfully funded projects. The Brooklyn-based company revolutionized early-stage funding by democratizing access to capital through its all-or-nothing crowdfunding model, where projects must reach their funding goal to receive any money. While Kickstarter doesn't write checks or take equity stakes like traditional VCs, it has become a critical early validation and funding mechanism for consumer products, games, films, and creative projects. Notable successes launched through the platform include Pebble smartwatch (raising over $43 million across multiple campaigns), Exploding Kittens card game, and the Coolest Cooler. The platform operates on a 5% fee structure for successfully funded projects. Kickstarter's impact on the venture ecosystem is significant as a pre-funding validation tool - many projects that succeed on Kickstarter subsequently attract traditional VC investment. The company itself has raised venture funding, including a $10 million Series A from Union Square Ventures in 2011, and notably converted to a Public Benefit Corporation structure in 2015, balancing profit with public benefit. This B-Corp certification distinguishes Kickstarter from pure profit-maximizing platforms. The platform has expanded globally and added new categories over time, but maintains its core mission of bringing creative projects to life through community backing rather than institutional investment.
“Crowdfunding platform for creative projects, not a traditional venture capital firm but facilitates funding for creative and innovative ventures.”
Kickstarter's leadership has evolved since its founding trio of Perry Chen (original concept creator), Yancey Strickler (former CEO who led the B-Corp conversion), and Charles Adler. The company has been led by CEO Everette Taylor since 2022, bringing e-commerce and marketing expertise from previous roles at Skullcandy and Artsy. The executive team includes seasoned technology and platform operations specialists focused on creator success and platform integrity rather than investment professionals, reflecting the company's role as a funding facilitator rather than an active investor or advisor to portfolio companies.
Kickstarter has raised traditional venture funding for its own operations, including early funding from Union Square Ventures, but does not operate investment funds in the traditional VC sense. The platform generates revenue through its 5% fee on successfully funded projects rather than through fund management fees or carried interest. Since inception, the platform has facilitated billions in funding across hundreds of thousands of projects, but this represents crowdfunded capital rather than institutional fund deployment.
Kickstarter primarily invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+ stages. This means they focus on companies that are at the earliest idea or prototype phase.
Kickstarter is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
Kickstarter focuses on investments in Aerospace & Defense, Other, Consumer, Fintech, Climate. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
Kickstarter's typical investment check size ranges from $. to $.. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.