Sept. 15, 2020
In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we interviewed Adrian Solgaard, founder and CEO of Solgaard, a design-driven sustainable brand. With six successful Kickstarter campaigns, Solgaard started out by creating luxury gear for on-the-go lifestyles. Now, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is launching at-home devices, like HomeBase Solar Boombox Ecosystem. With sustainability at the core of their mission, Solgaard not only pulls 5 lbs of ocean plastic for every item sold, but their products are also made from recycled ocean plastic. Listen in to learn about Solgaard's ecosystem of products and how the brand has grown from its first crowdfunding campaign. Topics Discussed and Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How Adrian found the factories that manufacture Solgaard products Tips for newcomers creating high-tech devices A sneak peek at a new item they're going to launch next year How Adrian balances backer feedback with his gut feelings for a potential product The importance of calculating in shipping costs, Kickstarter fees and other hidden expenses The considerations he takes into account when vetting marketing agencies Links Solgaard HomeBase and Solar Boombox Ecosystem by Solgaard on Kickstarter HomeBase and Solar Boombox Ecosystem by Solgaard on Indiegogo Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is the ultimate buyer's guide for cool luxury gadgets and creative gifts. Click here to learn more and list your product - use coupon code ATOKK16 for 20% off! Transcript View this episode's transcript Roy Morejon: Welcome to Art of the Kickstart, your source for crowdfunding campaign success. I’m your host Roy Morejon, president of Enventys Partners, the top full-service turnkey product development and crowdfunding marketing agency in the world. We have helped startups raise over a hundred million dollars for our clients since 2010. Each week, I’ll interview a crowdfunding success story, an inspirational entrepreneur, or a business expert in order to help you take your startup to the next level with crowdfunding. Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by Gadget Flow. The Gadget Flow is a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. It is the ultimate buyer’s guide for cool, luxury gadgets and creative gifts. Now let’s get on with the show. Roy Morejon: Welcome to another special edition of Art of the Kickstart. Today, I am talking with the one and only Adrian Solgaard, founder and CEO of Solgaard. Adrian Solgaard: [crosstalk 00:01:04]. Roy Morejon: Adrian is a six-time creator on Kickstarter. If you haven’t heard from him, you better check yourself because he is very innovative, comes up with amazing products, has built an amazing community. His last campaign just finished the HomeBase solar boom box Ecosystem with over 3,000 backers, over $600,000 raised on this campaign. He’s raised millions of dollars on Kickstarter. Ladies and gentlemen, Adrian Solgaard. Adrian Solgaard: Thank you. Thank you, sir. Hello. How’s it going? Roy Morejon: It is going, man. It is a pleasure to have you back on the show, tons of feedback and respect from what you’ve been doing and the company you’ve built with the community that’s out there on the Kickstarter side. So, this product is unique, where the company you’ve built has been built around travel products, and obviously with the pandemic that’s going on, that certainly is had to affect overall the industry itself and the ecosystem of people purchasing products like this. So, I’m really interested to hear what inspired you to come up with HomeBase and launch this product which is outside of the normal products that you guys have been launching in the past. Adrian Solgaard: Yeah. So, being born a kid of two different nationalities and sp...