Rudy de Waele
Conscious Futurist & Innovation Strategist | Singularity University Graduate | Founder, HumanWorks Design & Regenerate X | Expert in AI, Regenerative Business & Exponential Tech
Yancey Strickler
Co-founder & Former CEO of Kickstarter | Bestselling Author of This Could Be Our Future | Founder of Metalabel & Artist Corporations | Creative Economy Speaker
Yancey Strickler co-founded Kickstarter and has spent his career proving that purpose and profit can grow together. As a Public Benefit Corporation pioneer, bestselling author, and creator of new structures for the creative economy, he gives leaders a credible blueprint for building values-driven organizations. Senior audiences leave his keynotes with both inspiration and practical models for funding creativity and governing innovation.
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Yancey Strickler biography
Entrepreneurship speaker Yancey Strickler is the co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform that has channeled billions of dollars from millions of backers into creative projects. He has spent his career asking a deceptively simple question: what would change if we valued more than money? His answer has reshaped how a generation of founders, artists, and organizations think about purpose, ownership, and success.
Under Strickler’s leadership, Kickstarter became a Public Benefit Corporation, legally bound to weigh its impact on society alongside its obligations to shareholders. The company has helped fund a vast range of creative work while donating a share of its after-tax profits to arts education and efforts to address systemic inequality. Fast Company named Strickler one of the most creative people in business, and he is a recipient of the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award.
He is also the bestselling author of This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World, a book that argues for a richer definition of value than financial return alone.
Building New Structures for the Creative Economy
Strickler’s recent work extends that mission well beyond crowdfunding. He co-founded Metalabel, a platform that helps creative people release work together, and introduced Artist Corporations, a new legal structure designed to give artists and creative groups easier access to funding, health coverage, and shared equity. Through the Dark Forest Collective he has explored how culture and community can thrive on a more private, human-scale internet, work he continues to develop as a writer and publisher.
His keynotes challenge audiences to resist selling out their values and to imagine business models where doing good and doing well reinforce each other. Drawing on the founding of Kickstarter and the ventures that followed, he offers concrete examples of how purpose-driven organizations can grow without losing their integrity.
As a speaker, Yancey Strickler is both visionary and practical, leaving audiences with a clear-eyed optimism about what creativity and principled enterprise can achieve. Learn more at his personal website.
Yancey Strickler Speaking Videos
Yancey Strickler – The Governance Of Innovation
Yancey Strickler - Introducing Metalabels
Yancey Strickler Keynote Topics
Our culture is fixated on wealth, but what would change if we measured success by more than money? Drawing on his bestselling book, Yancey Strickler challenges the assumption that a system serving only those at the top is the best we can build. He shares how cooperatives, new communities, alternative pricing models, and broader measures of value can let people pursue personal goals while strengthening society and culture. The result is an inspiring, action-oriented talk that stays grounded in practical reality while expanding what audiences believe is possible.
Kickstarter changed how the world thinks about funding, patronage, and entrepreneurship while holding to a clear ethical commitment. In this keynote, co-founder Yancey Strickler explains how he and his team built a thriving company rooted in idealism, generosity, and authenticity. He offers practical guidance for founders, makes the case for social responsibility and the public benefit corporation model, and shows how diversity, transparency, and accountability can be sources of strength rather than constraints. His goal is to inspire other leaders to prove that doing good and doing well belong together.
Entering today's workforce can feel daunting amid economic uncertainty, disruptive technology, and political instability. When Strickler co-founded Kickstarter he had no business experience and faced constant unknowns, yet passion and persistence carried the venture to remarkable success. In this motivational talk he shares that journey and encourages audiences to pursue what genuinely matters to them, to take meaningful risks, and to build communities of support rather than waiting for permission. It is a candid, energizing reflection on purpose and the courage to disrupt.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Yancey Strickler
Why Yancey Strickler?
Yancey Strickler offers something rare: the lived experience of building one of the most influential companies of the crowdfunding era paired with a genuinely original vision for what comes next. He speaks with the credibility of a founder who made purpose and profit work together at scale, and his ideas on the creative economy, public benefit corporations, and new ownership structures give senior audiences a fresh strategic lens. On stage he is thoughtful, warm, and quietly provocative, the kind of speaker who changes how a room thinks. Book Yancey Strickler through Aurum Speakers Bureau for your next event.
What is Yancey Strickler known for?
Yancey Strickler is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform that has helped fund hundreds of thousands of creative projects. He is also the bestselling author of This Could Be Our Future and the founder of ventures including Metalabel and Artist Corporations, all aimed at helping creative people and purpose-driven organizations thrive outside traditional corporate models.
What is Yancey Strickler's book This Could Be Our Future about?
This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World argues that society's narrow focus on financial value comes at a cost, and that we can build systems that reward community, creativity, and long-term wellbeing alongside profit. Strickler offers a framework for making more balanced decisions and points to real examples of organizations succeeding by valuing more than money.
What audiences benefit most from a Yancey Strickler keynote?
Strickler resonates with founders, creative professionals, mission-driven organizations, and leadership teams wrestling with how to grow without compromising their values. His blend of entrepreneurial credibility and forward-looking ideas suits innovation summits, leadership conferences, and creative-industry events. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring Yancey Strickler to your stage.
How to book Yancey Strickler as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Yancey Strickler as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Yancey Strickler's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Yancey Strickler or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Yancey Strickler speaking fee?
Yancey Strickler speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Yancey Strickler to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Yancey Strickler.
How can I contact Yancey Strickler?
We only work with Yancey Strickler on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Yancey Strickler and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Yancey Strickler speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Yancey Strickler for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Yancey Strickler for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Yancey Strickler is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Yancey Strickler for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
