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Crowdfunding, explained by Exploding Kittens

Want to learn about crowdfunding? Exploding Kittens can help.

What’s the real appeal of crowdfunding? If you ask the creator of Exploding Kittens, the record-breaking Kickstarter-born card game, the answer is something more surprising than dollar signs.

I spoke with Elan Lee about his game’s stunning success, and why he and his fellow co-founders decided to draw from the crowdfunding well once again for their second game, Bears vs. Babies. As the above video shows, their emphasis on community isn’t just PR — it’s a plank of their business.

Kickstarter puts an emphasis on community as well. I spoke to Kickstarter CEO and cofounder Yancey Strickler at this year’s TED conference to learn about his philosophy behind running the crowdfunding company. He’s backed thousands of projects because, like Elan Lee, he believes understanding community is key to understanding his business.

Watch the video above to learn what crowdfunded hits really say about crowdfunding, beyond the money-focused headlines. Just make sure to watch out for those exploding kittens.

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