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Interactive media company MakersKit started as live, do-it-yourself craft workshops in San Fransisco. But after popularity soared, co-founders Jawn McQuade and Mike Stone began packaging their events into small DIY project kits paired with lighthearted instructional videos that they mailed to anyone interested. What they unleashed when they productized their DIY events is nothing short of amazing.
In a little over year, the company has sold 45,000 such kits for about $25 each. That success attracted investor attention: MakersKit just raised $1.5 million in seed funding from prominent investors Tribeca Venture Partners, Mesa+, Greycroft Partners, Vayner RSE and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investment. The company plans to put that new capital immediately to work with hiring and moving to a new space with room to grow.
“We are now hiring for 10 plus positions in LA in marketing, digital marketing, digital media, product design,” said Stone. The company is also “moving to a 6,000-square foot headquarters in Downtown LA this week, featuring a permanent DIY Workshop open to the public.”
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Don’t think of MakersKit as your typical mail order DIY company. Kits vary widely, from Apothecary Moss Terrariums to a Classic Cocktails starter. And the media presentation plays a huge role in the companies value-add.
“Video content is essential to our business, which is why we consider ourselves as a media company, instead of a product-based company,” said Stone. “Video content sets us apart from other DIY companies and captures the fun and spirit of DIY that Jawn and I bring to all makers.”
“We're changing the way people learn new skills, instead of boring printed directions we offer step-by-step video tutorials for every project we create,” said Stone.
“Video is the future of e-commerce,” said Stone. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a thousand pictures.”
And video is how MakersKit has built up such a strong following and customer base.
“Makers post comments on our YouTube videos and also are encouraged to ask questions on Twitter @makerskit as well as share their projects and ideas using #makerskit which instantly post on our site,” said Stone.
MakersKit hopes to take their business a step further by building an online community around those rabid fans.
“We are developing a whole new platform on our site that will take that a step further. Makers will be able to create a personal maker profile, post videos of projects they've made all their own and interact with other fellow makers. It's like merging the best of YouTube with the our Maker Community."
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