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For years, crowdfunding had a reputation as the place founders went when they couldn’t raise venture capital. Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor thinks founders should look at it very differently.
In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannessen sits down with Everette to talk about crowdfunding as an alternative and sometimes a precursor to traditional venture funding.
Everette’s own path into entrepreneurship was unconventional. Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, far from Silicon Valley, he says he didn’t know what venture capital, SaaS, or ARR were when he started his first company. Instead, he threw parties to make enough money to fund the software he was building. He eventually sold that company at 21, an experience that taught him some hard lessons about understanding the value of what you’ve built.
Today, as CEO of Kickstarter, Everette is making the case that founders don’t necessarily have to choose between crowdfunding and venture capital. A successful Kickstarter campaign can help founders raise nondilutive capital, find their first customers, test demand, and establish product-market fit — all before giving up a piece of their company. And for founders who eventually do want VC backing, Everette argues that traction can give them considerably more leverage at the negotiating table.
He also explains why Kickstarter is increasingly attracting established companies and creators, what makes hardware particularly well suited to crowdfunding, how AI is changing who can become an entrepreneur, and what founders need to have in place before launching a campaign.
They get into:
- Why Everette believes ownership and creative independence matter for founders.
- Why Kickstarter can work particularly well for hardware startups.
- What crowdfunding can give founders that venture capital can’t, like the ability to tap into an eager audience to nail down product-market fit.
- Why Everette says the stigma around crowdfunding is disappearing.
- The three things Everette thinks every Kickstarter campaign needs and his advice for founders looking to launch on the platform.
- How founders can build trust with backers.
- Why major brands are increasingly launching products on Kickstarter.
- What Oculus, Peloton, and Oura did differently.
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Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.
