On Tuesday, February 13th we hosted another P&P Conversation Panel featuring entrepreneurs who successfully launched their businesses through Kickstarter and crowdfunding! In this panel we discussed the successes and failures on the path to launching products on Kickstarter and what it takes to successfully launch and market your product. We had a panel of highly successful Kickstarter creators and marketers who have dozens of projects under their belt and have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in combined funding.
Meet our panelists!
Karen Lee, Co-Founder of LEZE The Label
Feeling daunted in the workplace is a feeling that we can all relate to; co-founder of LEZÉ the Label, Karen, was no different. A year ago, she leveraged her wardrobe to combat self-doubt – but found that most workwear were neither versatile or comfortable. This inspired her & co-creator, Tanya, to launch a functional and fashionable workwear beyond one purpose. After successfully raising $250,000 in their first Kickstarter, the pair continues to strive towards produce clothing that embody the versatility of today’s modern working women.
Oscar Bonilla, Founder of Orijin Design Company
Oscar attended Quest University of Canada where he studied, what makes invention and design beautiful. During his 2nd year at university, Oscar launched his first ever Kickstarter campaign, Bonilla Books, handcrafted SF made notebooks for artists, writers & musicians. It failed…but that failure taught him a tremendous amount. In total Oscar has successfully launched 9 Kickstarter campaigns grossing half a million dollars from supporters from across the globe. From the design, manufacturing, and fulfillment (with the exception of Social Media Marketing), there are no middlemen, it’s all handled in house.
Tara Clark, Marketing Strategist at Social T
Tara Clark is an entrepreneur, mentor, acclaimed speaker, and founder of the boutique social media agency Social T. For the past 9+ years, she and her team have offered effective, cutting-edge social media management and executive training services to small and medium-sized businesses across Western Canada. Her digital marketing wisdom has been published in Investment Executive, Business in Vancouver and the Vernon Morning Star. Tara is passionate about empowering those around her and focuses on building strong connections with business owners who share her entrepreneurial spirit. She is committed to supporting her clients, team members, and other business owners as they pursue their own unique paths to growth and success. As an event speaker, she comes with over a decade of experience in the social media field and inspires and educates audiences on a variety of topics, including digital marketing, collaboration, and entrepreneurship. She has consulted on athleisure wear and plant-based food Kickstarter campaigns. Clients come to her for direction on how to make their products stand out on Kickstarter through copywriting and social media.
Andy Wang, Co-Founder of Vessi
Andy Wang co-founded Vessi Footwear, the world’s first waterproof knit shoes! They raised over $2 million through their kickstarter campaign to launch their business and now have built Vessi to a company with dozens of staff. Stay tuned for their new exciting lines coming out!
