My name is Charles Adler. For much of my life I've been a designer and technologist tinkering with code directed toward accelerating the creative work of others.
In 2009 I launched Kickstarter with Perry Chen & Yancey Strickler. Since that time, Kickstarter has been catalyst to Academy Award winning films, National Design Award winning products, brought art to the desert, launched a satellite – creating over 300,000 jobs, distributing over $4.5 billion to creators across every continent. By now you've likely participated in a Kickstarter campaign as a backer, and maybe even launched your own. It's become the largest platform for creative projects globally. That's pretty rad, and frankly, humbling.
After leaving Kickstarter at the end of 2013, I began exploring new ways to empower independent creators.
Lost Arts was born in the summer of 2015 as a one-month experiment. A new format of workspace for ambitious creators in the 21st century. What began in a 4,000 square foot abandoned meat packing plant has grown into a 25,000 square foot space on Chicago's Goose Island. We've incubated urban agriculture products powered by AI, interactive public art installations, ovens producing amazing breads, and myriad other ideas. This project has now found a new medium – the internet. It's a circuitous story, and one best told over a cocktail or a long hike in the woods.
I've had the privilege to share my views on entrepreneurship, the future of work, design & technology, and the creative economy with a global audience. From Moscow to Shanghai, Norway to Indonesia as well as the United States. With audiences massive and intimate I've shared the stage with such idols as Steve Wozniak, Kofi Annan, Jeanne Gang, Erik Spiekermann, Debbie Millman and others.
The fine folks at Chartwell manage my participation for all events globally. For enquiries please email talks@charles-adler.com.
"The rules were always meant to be broken. We're only breaking them faster."
From podcasts, articles, tv and documentaries, I've contributed thoughts & ideas related to technology, design, entrepreneurship, art, philanthropy, architecture and more.
For enquiries, please email press@charles-adler.com. You can download a bio and high-resolution photo here.