Kickstarter announced today that it has appointed Everette Taylor as CEO. The news comes nearly six months after Aziz Hasan officially stepped down from the chief executive role. Hasan had served in the position for around three years, leaving COO Sean Leow leading the company in an interim role.
“Everette brings so many exciting qualities to the table that will help take Kickstarter to the next level, from his deep passion for our mission and his natural-born leadership to his proven track record of delivering first-class product and brand experiences,” Leow notes in an official statement.
Most recently, Taylor was the chief market officer for online fine art marketplace, Artsy. Before that, he worked at ET Enterprises and served as CEO for social media firm PopSocial.
Meet our new CEO, Everette Taylor!@Everette is a seasoned entrepreneur who is deeply passionate about creative work and making creativity accessible to all, we couldn’t be more excited to have him on board.
Join us in welcoming him! https://t.co/Y0yakecZHX
📸: Ackime Snow pic.twitter.com/TqfqSsNy9V
— Kickstarter (@Kickstarter) September 28, 2022
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Taylor takes on the role in the wake of a turbulent few years for the leading crowdfunding platform. Kickstarter United won its first contract this June, following pushback from Hasan, who referred to the newly formed union as “inherently adversarial” in a letter to employees.
The company was also the target of some intense user backlash following news that it planned to move its offerings to the blockchain. That move ultimately resulted in Kickstarter attempting to assuage concerns with a blog post titled, “We Won’t Make Changes to Kickstarter Without You.”
“I am humbled to take on the role of CEO of Kickstarter at a very transformative time for the company,” Taylor said in a blog post tied to the news. “Kickstarter has made such a positive impact on the world, and I’m honored to continue the mission of bringing creative projects to life and support amazing creators across the globe.”
