[HTML2]Andy Baio is perhaps best known on the Web for three things: starting the Star Wars Kid meme, creating Upcoming (which he later sold to Yahoo!), and sharing interesting tidbits via Waxy.org. Not necessarily in that order.
What’s not as well known? He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Now, Andy will likely be known for something else entirely: helping lead a new “crowdfunding” startup called Kickstarter.
I’ve been on the board for over a year, helping find the development team and providing some guidance on tech, design, and community issues. And in the last year, watching the site evolve was an amazing experience, from an idea to a website with the potential to change the way things are made.
Needless to say, the Kickstarter folks are excited about the hire, too:
Andy has built a sterling reputation as an excellent journalist, an outspoken advocate for openness in web technology, and an influential thinker…. Obviously we are thrilled by the addition of Andy to the team (he has served on our board over the past year), as well as the values that he brings: openness, transparency and a history of consumer advocacy. We look forward to growing Kickstarter together.
So what does New-York-based Kickstarter do? Well, it helps people—would-be entrepreneurs or otherwise—find the funding they need to bring their projects into being.
Since our launch ten weeks ago, over $250,000 has been pledged to make everything from books, magazines, albums (and album reissues), plays, films, art projects, zombie iPhone apps, and more. (Not to mention, my own Kind of Bloop album.) And keep in mind, the site’s still invite-only!
Not only that, but you can see what projects your peers are pursuing—and what they’re backing.
Although they’re currently in the “invite only” stage, Kickstarter plans to open to the public next month. And while I’m sure it goes without saying, I’ll state the obvious anyway: it would be great to see some Portland and Silicon Forest startups pitching their ideas on Kickstarter.
For more information on his role, see Andy’s post on the Kickstarter gig. For more information on the company, visit Kickstarter or follow Kickstarter on Twitter.
(Image courtesy Adactio. Used under Creative Commons.)
(Hat tip Marshall Kirkpatrick)
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If you’re interested in crowdfunding, another site similar to Kickstarter.com is IndieGoGo.com. It’s a website where fans have raised thousands of dollars for all types of creative projects.