The Art of the Start
Abstract: You have an idea, a passion, a vision. You figured out the “what” you want to build and “why” it is important that you bring it to life. Now, you probably asking yourself, how am i going to do it? We will spend some time talking about the “how” and i will share with you what we did, and how we did it, at Kano, where we took and idea and in less than three years built a product, sold and delivered nearly 100,000 units of it (on the way becoming one of Kickstarter’s most successful campaigns ever), building an exceptional team and securing financing from world-class investors.
About Yonatan Raz-Fridman
As Founding CEO of Kano, Yonatan co-created the Kano computer kit, an award-winning product now at the hands of over 100,000 children in over 80 countries. Since the company’s establishment in January 2013, Yonatan played an instrumental role in designing and developing the company’s product portfolio; establishing operations which enabled the company to deliver nearly 100,000 units to customers in over 80 countries with extraordinary level of quality; build an ambitious and committed team of people from over 20 nationalities, based in London; and secure $19 million in financing acclaimed investors such as Jim Breyer, Marc Benioff, Martin Sorrell, Jim O’Neill, Troy Carter, Index Ventures, Sherry Coutu and others. Yonatan spoke at over 15 conferences and events worldwide, among them TEDxBangalore and Surge Bangalore, Wired Next Gen London, Tech Open Air Berlin, Urban Explorer, Quartz Next Billion in London and New York, ABC Continuity Forum Miami, TEDxAUEB Athens, Appeared on Silicon Real show, Wired’s ‘one to watch’, Huffington Post, Samira Stalks podcast and Quartz, and was chosen for the 2015 class of UK’s most promising entrepreneurs (‘Young Guns’) as well as the world’s 100 leading Education-technology leaders list.
About Kano
Kano is the maker of the award-winning Computer Kit that anyone, anywhere build and code themselves. UK’s fastest growing startup, supported by world leaders. Kano was founded in 2013 by Yonatan Raz-Fridman, Alex Klein and Saul Klein. Kano’s vision is a world where anyone, anywhere, have the tools to learn, make and play with technology. From kids in Sierra Leone who never had a computer to young makers in the UK and US – all are part of the new creative generation. We want millions kids of all ages to make a computer, play with code, and shape the world around them.
Each year Kano donates 1% of annual kits sold to social projects. Among its recent projects, establishment of Coding Clubs for girls in Africa and Syrian refugees in Lebanon, in collaboration with Theirworld Foundation; and promoting computing literacy in the UK in collaboration with STEMnet and the Science Museum and Barclays.
Kano is the recipient of the CES Tech for Good Award; the first-ever Cannes Lion for Product Design, Gold; the Red Dot Product Design Award; CES Tech for Good Award; the Edison Award in Gaming/Computing, Gold; the German Design Award, Gold; the International Design Society of America, Silver; the Webby Award and People’s Voice Award; The International Design Excellence Award, Silver; D&AD (In-Book Award);.
To reserve a space, email s.wissing@imperial.ac.uk