This week I have had the privilege of interviewing Ben Kaufman.
At the age of 18, Ben took an idea for an iPod accessory and founded Mophie. He designed and launched Mophie’s first product while still attending High School. Following the acquisition of Mophie, Ben founded Kluster. He is also the founder of Quirky.com.
Adam: Kluster is your second start-up, did you take any lessons from the first one, Mophie, into this one?
Ben: For sure, everything I do is built on what I have learned in the past. Quirky takes my learnings from product work at Mophie and community decision making from Kluster together. There is no way I would be able to run Quirky without having these 2 learning experiences behind me. But no regrets for any step of the way, the journey to get here has been rewarding and mistakes are good…there is no better way to learn, I think.
Adam: You have been through the entire business cycle with Mophie from start-up, growth and through to the sale of the business as a going concern. Which part of the cycle do you gain the most enjoyment from?
Ben: I get the most enjoyment from the initial proof of concept. I am definitely a product guy, there is nothing more satisfying then seeing someone walk down the street and see or hear someone talking about/using my products…
Adam: You started you first business with capital from your parents, as the business grew you went down the venture capital route. What are your top tips for being successful in gaining venture capital?
Ben: Be yourself and know that if they don’t fund you you’re probably better off… If you remain true to yourself/personality, and they DO fund you… you’ve found the right group.
Adam: In your business ventures you have always recognised your strengths and weaknesses and brought people on board to strengthen to strengthen your proposition. Do you think that it is important for entrepreneurs to recognise that they can’t do everything themselves?
Ben: Of course. It’s always important to know what you’re good at, and more importantly what you suck at. I am thankful to have a fabulous team to carry out most of the work.
Adam: What are your views on the college system, do you think that entrepreneurs should be encouraged to just get out there and do it rather than go down the formal education route?
Ben: Well, it would be unfair to me to judge something I haven’t really experienced! That said, on the general topic of learning…. I remain confident that the best way to learn is to try, and fail. Failure is healthy.
Adam: What was the idea behind starting Kluster?
Ben: At Mophie, our products were community designed and developed, that’s one of the things that made us so appealing as a brand. I decided that I didn’t want to sell iPod condoms for my whole life so I sold the product (Mophie) and kept the process. This community decision support process became known as Kluster. Kluster powers collaborative strategy for hundreds of companies worldwide.
Adam: Have you been surprised by the ideas that have been generated and what is the most memorable one to date?
Ben: Oh, there are countless memorable ones… That said, I love them all. For me, giving people a place to get their ideas out of their heads and just “out there” is really rewarding… even if the world doesn’t need an inflatable soda can.
Adam: Where do you see Kluster going over the next 2 years?
Ben: I never answer that question. I live my life one day at a time. In a startup, you gotta roll with whatever the morning brings and make the best of it.
Adam: There has been a huge explosion in social networking on the internet over the last few years do you see sites like Kluster being a natural evolution from this and what other areas do you think call for this type of collaboration?
Ben: It’s been said all of us are smarter then one of us…. Therefore, collaborative decision support can fit into anything…. I look forward to the time when the “social networks” are put to work.
Adam: Invention and creativity come naturally to you, was this something that your parents nurtured/encouraged in you as you grew up?
Ben: Well, I used to like to carry about my tool box when I was a kid…just wanted to constantly build things. Yes, my first word was in fact “hammer.” So I suppose that means my parents must have fostered creativity. I owe a lot to my mom.
Adam Toren
