Perry Chen

Biography

Perry Chen is an artist and the founder of Kickstarter, a public benefit corporation whose mission is to help bring creative projects to life. Chen was Kickstarter's CEO at its launch, stepped away from its operations from 2014 to 2017 to focus on his artistic practice, and now serves as CEO and Chairman.

Since its launch in 2009, 16 million people have pledged $4.1 billion on Kickstarter, funding 158,000 creative projects. A 2016 study found that Kickstarter projects had spawned more than 8,800 new companies and nonprofits and generated more than $5.3 billion in direct economic impact. But a unique aspect of the Kickstarter system is that it allows creative work to be funded regardless of its potential economic prospects — giving creators a way to bypass traditional industry gatekeepers. Similarly, Kickstarter doesn’t measure its success in terms of market share. The company's 2015 conversion into a public benefit corporation, which Chen spearheaded, requires it to commit to its mission over the pursuit of profit maximization. Other elements of its PBC charter include commitments to never sell user data or exploit tax loopholes. Chen is now a vocal advocate for improved corporate citizenship in the tech industry and beyond.

Chen's work as an artist has been exhibited in New York, Berlin, and Mexico City. He was a TED Fellow in 2010 and a Director's Fellow at the MIT Media Lab in 2016, and was appointed to the Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and Democracy in 2017. In 2013 he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.