Perry Chen

{{short description|American artist and entrepreneur|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Perry Chen

|image = Perry Chen of Kickstarter at NXNEi (4708963039) (cropped).jpg

|caption = Chen in 2010

|birth_name =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|7|15}}

|birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.

|alma_mater =

|occupation = Chairman of Kickstarter

|years_active =

|known_for =

|website = [http://www.perrychenstudio.com Perry Chen Studio]

}}

Perry Chen (born {{birth date|1976|7|15}}) is an American entrepreneur best known for being the creator and principal founder of Kickstarter, the online crowdfunding platform for creative projects. He came up with the idea for Kickstarter in 2001{{cite web|title=How I Built This with Guy Raz|url=https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this|publisher=NPR|accessdate=22 August 2017}} and launched it in 2009 along with co-founders Charles Adler and Yancey Strickler.{{cite web|title=Immersive Space – Perry Chen|date=13 June 2014 |url=http://uicfreeartschool.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/immersive-space-perry-chen-august-3-1-5pm/|publisher=School of Art & Art History, University of Illinois at Chicago}}

Education

Chen is an alumnus of Hunter College High School in New York City and Tulane University in New Orleans.{{cite web|last1=Chafkin|first1=Max|title=True To Its Roots: Why Kickstarter Won't Sell|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3006694/where-are-they-now/true-to-its-roots-why-kickstarter-wont-sell|publisher=Fast Company|accessdate=9 February 2015}}

Work

Chen co-founded the Southfirst gallery in Brooklyn in 2001,{{cite web|title=Perry Chen – Aspen Ideas|url=http://www.aspenideas.org/speaker/perry-chen|publisher=Aspen Ideas Festival|accessdate=9 February 2015}} was a TED Fellow in 2010,{{cite web|title=Perry Chen – TED Fellow|url=http://www.ted.com/profiles/62447/fellow|publisher=TED|accessdate=9 February 2015}} a resident of Laboratorio para la Ciudad in Mexico City in 2014,{{cite web|title=Residencia: Perry Chen|url=http://labplc.mx/residencia-perry-chen/|publisher=Laboratorio para la Ciudad|accessdate=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141201035245/http://labplc.mx/residencia-perry-chen/|archive-date=1 December 2014|url-status=dead}} and is a 2016 Director's Fellow at the MIT Media Lab.{{cite web|title=2016 MIT Media Lab Directors Fellows Announced|url=https://news.mit.edu/2016/mit-media-lab-director%E2%80%99s-fellows-0722|accessdate=21 November 2016}} In 2017, he was appointed to the Knight Commission on Trust, Media and American Democracy — a nonpartisan commission of leaders across media, technology, and public policy tasked with guiding the public discourse on rebuilding trust in America's democratic institutions.{{cite web|title=The Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy|url=https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/communications-and-society-program/knight-commission-trust-media-democracy/|publisher= The Aspen Institute|accessdate=22 January 2018}}

In 2013, he was honored on the annual list of Time's 100 most influential people.{{cite news|title=The 2013 Time 100|url=https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/perry-chen/|publisher=Time | date=18 April 2013}}

In 2014, Chen stepped down as chief executive officer of Kickstarter and left the role to co-founder Yancey Strickler. December 2014, Chen exhibited [http://www.computersincrisis.com "Computers in Crisis"] for the New Museum's First Look program, co-presented by Rhizome and Creative Time Reports.{{cite web|title=Perry Chen: Computers in Crisis|url=http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/perry-chen-computers-in-crisis|publisher=New Museum|accessdate=9 February 2015}} The exhibition included the event Y2K+15, an exploration of the phenomenon and legacy of Y2K, held at the New Museum.{{cite web|title=Perry Chen: Y2K+15|url=http://www.newmuseum.org/calendar/view/perry-chen-y2k-15|publisher=New Museum|accessdate=20 March 2015}} In 2017, Chen returned again as CEO{{Cite web|last=Stephen|first=Bijan|date=2019-03-19|title=Kickstarter's CEO, Perry Chen, is resigning|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/19/18273318/kickstarter-ceo-resigning-perry-chen-chairman-board|access-date=2020-06-08|website=The Verge|language=en}} where he remained until March 2019. He continues to serve as chairman of Kickstarter's board.