Designer, technologist and entrepreneur.

A life-long nomad often found cycling, running or in the woods.

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.