When did Kickstarter launch and who founded it?
Kickstarter launched on the 28th of April 2009, by Perry Chen and Yancey Strickler. The company began operations from a small office at 155 Rivington Street in Manhattan.
Questions about Kickstarter
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What are the fees charged by Kickstarter for successful campaigns?
Kickstarter applies a 5% fee on the total amount of funds raised by successful campaigns. A payments processor adds an additional 3, 5% fee to cover transaction costs.
Which project holds the record for the highest funding amount on Kickstarter?
On the 30th of August 2014 Ryan Grepper's Coolest Cooler became the most funded project in history with US$13.28 million. Brandon Sanderson's Surprise! Four Secret Novels later raised $41,754,153 closing on the 31st of March 2022.
How many backers have pledged money to projects on Kickstarter as of April 2025?
As of April 2025 the site has received US$8.71 billion in pledges from 24.1 million backers. The success rate for projects reached 37.45 percent according to data from the 4th of December 2019.
When did Kickstarter staff vote to join the union and what was the result?
A formal vote held on the 18th of February 2020 resulted in 46 votes in favor and 37 against joining OPEIU. As of the 2nd of May 2020 sixty percent of the workforce became part of the union.