My First Million The Board Game Billionaire: From a $10k Kickstarter to $100M/Year Business
913 snips
Apr 21, 2025 
Elan Lee, creator of the wildly successful card game Exploding Kittens, shares insights on his journey from a $10K Kickstarter to a $100M business. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on consumer engagement rather than just funding. The conversation dives into innovative marketing strategies, the necessity of humor in game design, and how constraints can spark creativity. Elan also discusses the significance of player interaction and shares amusing anecdotes from promoting his game at conventions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Origin of Exploding Kittens
- Elan Lee created a simple card game inspired by playful childhood interactions and aimed to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter.
- Collaboration with Matt Inman (The Oatmeal) transformed the game into Exploding Kittens, resulting in a $9 million Kickstarter success.
Prioritize Crowd Over Funding
- Focusing on community engagement rather than funding can exponentially grow your project's reach.
- Exploding Kittens set stretch goals based on fan-created content, creating a fun party atmosphere that drove massive backer growth.
Games Make Players Entertaining
- Games should not be entertaining themselves; they should make the players entertaining.
- This creates a dynamic, repeatable experience where players themselves provide the fun.