How I Built This with Guy Raz 93 Rejections, One Revolution: How Indiegogo Changed Crowdfunding Forever
51 snips
Dec 15, 2025 
Join Slava Rubin and Danae Ringelmann, co-founders of Indiegogo, as they share their incredible journey to democratize funding. Hear about the pivotal role their personal histories, including losses and financial struggles, played in shaping their mission. They revisit the agonizing 93 investor rejections and how the 2008 financial crisis almost derailed their vision. Discover the decisions that allowed Indiegogo to transform from a niche platform for film into a global crowdfunding giant, proving that anyone can bring their ideas to life.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Personal Loss Sparked Public Fundraising
- Slava lost his father to cancer at 15 and later founded Music Against Myeloma to raise research funds through concerts.
- That personal history shaped his drive to remove gatekeepers and create broader access to capital.
The Night That Exposed Funding Inequity
- Danae encountered struggling filmmakers at a 'Hollywood Meets Wall Street' event who begged her for funding she couldn't provide.
- That experience convinced her the system was unfair and that broader access to funding was needed.
Origin Moment At The Golden Gate
- Danae, Slava and Eric sketched crowdfunding at the Golden Gate overlook and imagined using the internet to democratize capital.
- That casual conversation seeded Indiegogo's core idea: let the crowd, not gatekeepers, decide which projects get funded.