Masters of Crowdfunding

LaunchBoom
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Entrepreneurship

Masters of Crowdfunding explores how to launch products, get customers, and build businesses through crowdfunding. Your hosts are Mark Pecota and Kevin Liang from LaunchBoom, where they’ve helped creators raise over $175 million through Kickstarter & Indiegogo. Now, they are sharing the lessons they’ve learned with you so you can finally bring your product idea to life.

  1. Oct 28

    From Kickstarter Success to Barnes & Noble Game of the Year

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep75 — Episode 75: Masters of Crowdfunding — In this episode, Mark sits down with Amy and Dusty Droz, founders of Dux Somnium Games, the studio behind Endearment, Botany and Reverie, board games built from antique art and props. Amy and Dusty Droz went from wedding photographers to Barnes & Noble game of the year with Endearment, a board game that made $1,030,355 on Kickstarter. They run Dux Somnium Games with one part-time employee and build a system for anything that takes more than five or ten minutes a month. In this board game Kickstarter talk they walk through the marketing engine behind it: being everywhere a buyer looks for their games, accessories that lift order value without higher prices, and new entry points like puzzles and small party games. And more importantly, they explain the creative process that starts with eBay antiques and the box design, and what they tested on Reverie, their current campaign. Links: Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep75 Endearment: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/duxsomnium/endearment — Check out our other channels: @launchboom_official @LaunchBoom_Games What we cover: 00:00 Introduction 00:43 What happened since Endearment 01:37 Wedding photographers to game of the year 03:04 Running it with one part-time employee 04:20 How Barnes & Noble picks game of the year 06:30 What the award does for sales 08:46 Be everywhere buyers look 09:53 How the business engine grew 11:26 A day of Amy creating 14:32 Their creative process and eBay finds 21:35 What they tested on Reverie 24:17 Puzzles and new entry points 28:25 What is coming next 31:56 Outro

  2. Oct 15

    How to Launch a Board Game on Kickstarter With a $20K Budget

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep74 — Episode 74: Masters of Crowdfunding — In this episode, Mark sits down with Suren Rastogi, co-founder of Laughing Sticks and co-creator of the Burnout board game, to break down how to launch a board game on Kickstarter on a planned budget of about $20K. Burnout is a satirical party game where coworkers fight for one promotion without burning out. Suren had not played a board game in twenty years when he decided a physical product was one way to protect his marketing career from AI. He and his team ran it as a business from day one: playtests at every local game meetup and in people's homes, ads aimed at the order counts that make a distributor deal likely, and a launch they pushed back six months on LaunchBoom's advice. Burnout raised S$130,283 (about US$100K) from 1,686 backers, and the company is already profitable. Links: Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep74 Burnout: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/burnoutgame/burnout-board-game — Check out our other channels: @launchboom_official @LaunchBoom_Games What we cover: 00:00 Introduction 00:59 Why a Marketer Started a Board Game Company 02:15 Building a Business From Day One 03:29 The $20K Budget and De-Risking a First Kickstarter 05:31 From Political Satire to Burnout 08:01 The First Playtest That Proved the Idea 09:04 Designing Cards People Want to Share 11:11 Launch Day: Funded in Ten Minutes 12:22 The Pre-Launch and Ad Strategy by Market 15:27 The Surprise Ad: A Photo of the Box 16:33 The Offline Playbook: Events, Homes, and Cafes 19:27 What's Next: Profit, New Games, and Operation 67 22:36 The Best Advice: Don't Launch Yet 24:17 Outro

  3. Oct 14

    Kickstarter Pre-Launch Strategy: How Tortuga Hit $315K on Day One

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep73 — Episode 73: Masters of Crowdfunding — In this episode, Mark sits down with Fred Perrotta, co-founder of Tortuga, the travel backpack brand, to break down the Kickstarter pre-launch strategy behind the Tortuga Superlite's $315K first day. The Superlite is a 2.2 lb carry-on backpack and Tortuga's first Kickstarter after 16 years in business. It raised $451,494. Fred shares why the brand waited so long, how they used LaunchBoom's $1 VIP playbook and ran ads for a couple of months before launch, why they saved their own customer list for later, why they sold one big idea (light, but still strong) instead of a long feature list, and the turntable video, made from product photos they already had, that became their number one ad. Links: Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep73 Tortuga: https://www.tortugabackpacks.com/ — Check out our other channels: @launchboom_official @LaunchBoom_Games What we cover: 00:00 Introduction 02:33 Pre-Orders vs. Kickstarter: Which Made More? 06:13 $315K on Day One 08:48 How the $1 VIP Funnel Works 09:46 First 1,000 Backers Get Their Bag First 10:42 One Big Idea: 2.2 lb but Still Strong 14:27 Why They Skipped the 100-Feature Bag 18:13 The Turntable Ad That Won 19:45 Cold Ads First, Customer List Later 22:50 Why $1 Works for a $300 Backpack 23:57 Using the VIP Group for Product Feedback 27:05 Test Product Ideas Before You Build Them 29:10 Kickstarter Is Now Part of the Plan 30:38 Outro

  4. Oct 13

    She Delayed Her Board Game Kickstarter a Year, Then Made $108,077

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep72 — Episode 72: Masters of Crowdfunding — In this episode, Mark sits down with Gaelle Wormus, creator of Synaptic Symphony, a co-op strategy board game where your family builds a 3D brain to help a character named Jay handle everyday life. Gaelle shares how a game she made to teach her two sons about resilience turned into a Kickstarter that raised over $107,000 from 1,065 backers. She talks about pushing her launch back a year to get ready, why a 3D neuron piece became the biggest draw in her ad testing, learning to trust Facebook ads when every dollar felt scary, and the launch-day email that went out an hour early. Links: Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/launchboom-moc-ep72 Synaptic Symphony: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theresilientbrainco/synaptic-symphony-co-op-strategy-game-for-mental-resilience — Check out our other channels: @launchboom_official @LaunchBoom_Games What we cover: 00:00 Introduction 03:35 Why She Made a Board Game for Her Sons 06:03 From Family Project to Real Business 07:13 The 3D Neuron: The Ad Hook Nobody Expected 09:12 Surround Yourself With Experts 12:45 Why She Pushed Her Launch Back a Year 14:34 Learning to Trust Facebook Ads 16:48 What the Pre-Launch Taught Her 19:52 Launch Day: The Email That Went Out Early 21:58 Proving Herself to Her Dad 23:13 Advice: Pace Yourself 25:00 What's Next After Kickstarter 25:56 Outro

  5. Oct 6

    He Got a Legal Notice From LEGO 3 Days Before His $170K Kickstarter Launch

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/3d43we7e— Episode 71: Masters of Crowdfunding —In this episode, Mark sits down with Richard Hoedl, creator of Epic Brick Adventures, a brick-based (think LEGO-compatible) role-playing game built as a non-violent, family-friendly alternative to traditional RPGs. Richard shares the eight-to-nine-year journey from running brick workshops in his living room to a second Kickstarter that raised over $170K CAD, the hard lessons from a failed first campaign, why he calls his community more valuable than the money, and the chaos of getting a legal notice from LEGO's lawyers three days before launch.Links:Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/3d43we7eEpic Brick Adventures: https://epicbrickadventures.com/

    He Got a Legal Notice From LEGO 3 Days Before His $170K Kickstarter Launch

  6. Sep 18

    Why This Doctor Built His Own Shoe Brand From Scratch

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/2czex3rr — Episode 70: Masters of Crowdfunding —In this episode, Mark sits down with Dr. Sofoklis Sarellis, physical therapist, sports performance coach, and creator of Symbol, a barefoot athletic training sneaker built to handle lateral movement and change of direction. Sofo shares how a personal frustration with barefoot shoes falling apart during agility training led him to sketch, prototype, and patent his own sneaker from scratch, and how a nearly $60K opening day on Kickstarter came down to studio photography, founder-led content, and staying the course through years of uncertainty.Links:Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/2czex3rr Symbol: https://symbol.win/ —Check out our other channels: @launchboom_official @LaunchBoom_Games

    Why This Doctor Built His Own Shoe Brand From Scratch

  7. Sep 2

    How a Messy Bike Chain Problem Became a $100K+ Kickstarter

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/3d43we7e— Episode 69: Masters of Crowdfunding —In this episode, Mark sits down with Jan and Josep, co-creators of CHA, a graphite-based bike chain lubricant and applicator. Jan and Josep share the story of turning a personal frustration with messy chain lube into a patented invention, and the lessons they learned building a completely new product category: from finding the right audience, to the value of "slow cooking" a campaign, and fulfilling to over 3,000 backers around the world.Links:Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/3d43we7e CHA: https://thecha.cc/ — Check out our other channels: @launchboom_official @LaunchBoom_Games

    How a Messy Bike Chain Problem Became a $100K+ Kickstarter

  8. Aug 27

    The AI Ad Strategy Behind a $120K Kickstarter Campaign

    Launch your product in the next 90 days 🚀 Start here: https://tinyurl.com/5w9hw36e— Episode 68: Masters of Crowdfunding —In this episode, Mark sits down with Devrim Özsoy, creator of Halflings: Best Chef, a board game about fantasy cooking in the world of halflings. Devrim shares the story of turning his first-ever published game into a campaign that raised over $125,000 and the lessons he learned along the way about using AI as a creative tool, in-person playtesting and keeping a campaign simple.Links:Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/5w9hw36eHalflings: Best Chef: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gameversetech/halflings-best-chef— Check out our other channels:@launchboom_official@LaunchBoom_GamesWhat we cover:00:00 Introduction00:44 About Halflings: Best Chef01:52 Devrim's Background 03:42 The Story Behind The Game05:16 Pre-Launch Strategy & Conventions09:03 Using AI in the Creative Process14:47 The Best-Performing Ad Creative15:55 Ad Spend & The VIP Promise19:04 Launch Day23:45 Final Advice for New Creators

    The AI Ad Strategy Behind a $120K Kickstarter Campaign
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4.7
out of 5
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About

Masters of Crowdfunding explores how to launch products, get customers, and build businesses through crowdfunding. Your hosts are Mark Pecota and Kevin Liang from LaunchBoom, where they’ve helped creators raise over $175 million through Kickstarter & Indiegogo. Now, they are sharing the lessons they’ve learned with you so you can finally bring your product idea to life.

Information

  • Creator
    LaunchBoom
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 LaunchBoom
  • Show Website
    Masters of Crowdfunding

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