Interview with co:funding speaker Slava Rubin - CEO and co-founder of Indiegogo

During the organisation of the co:funding conference we have been really delighted by the news that Slava Rubin – CEO and co-founder of Indiegogo – will come to Berlin. Last week, on the 2nd co: funding conference he gave an inspiring talk on crowdfunding, the backgrounds of Indiegogo and the current situation in the United States. After his presentation Slava gave us a little interview.

Why have you decided to come to the co:funding conference?

It is exciting for us to come! Indiegogo is proud to be a global platform for anybody to raise money for anything. That being said – we spend most of our time in the United States, where we are currently headquartered, and are always looking for the opportunity to meet more people and build our relationships with customers in other countries.  We have had campaigns from over 190 countries on Indiegogo and Germany has been very well represented.  There is no better way to build the opportunities for fundraising in Berlin besides coming here!

How has crowdfunding developed in the USA since the foundation of Indiegogo in 2008?

Crowdfunding has been around for decades, but the phenomenon has taken a new shape since the proliferation of the internet and social media. It is now easy and inexpensive to reach people all over the world with your message. Since launching in 2008, Indiegogo is now distributing millions of dollars each month globally.

What is the status quo? ‬

We have been very excited by the recent growth of crowdfunding, although the concept is not new and has recently just proliferated due to the pervasive access to social media and the internet.  There are many platforms available and it’s always encouraging to see growth in the industry.  
We're now the largest open funding platform in the world, but since our launch we have had over 200 competitors. Many of our competitors focus in one of the three major areas – like creative, social, or entrepreneurship.

At our co:funding conference we discuss the topics crowdfunding, crowdinvesting and also possible cofunding models. We think that it makes sense to combine different financing models, like crowdfunding with the support of foundations, companies or public institutions. Do you already have experiences with "cofunding campaigns"?

We have always encouraged crowdfunding as a compliment to other funding sources – it will never replace the need for other types of foundations or public institutions but is an enabler for more opportunities to lever multiple funding channels.

Slava, thanks for the interview and we hope to see you again at the next co:funding conference!