Scaling a DTC toy business with Sandra Oh Lin from KiwiCo
6In this week's episode of Found, KiwiCo (https://www.kiwico.com/) ’s Sandra Lin talks about building a STEM-focused toy business. She explains the importance of inspiring creativity in kids, the company’s massive growth to 50 million crates delivered, and how she sought out feedback from parents and kids alike. They also discuss how the company recently expanded from and online-only DTC to selling in brick and mortar stores.
00:00 - Introduction
01:24 - The Story Behind KiwiCo: From Idea to Business
04:53 - Turning an Idea into a Marketable Product
06:32 - Testing and Feedback Beyond the Bay Area
10:00 - Early Marketing Strategies and Organic Growth
15:50 - Expanding into Retail and New Channels
16:06 - The Product Development Process at KiwiCo
21:27 - Fundraising and Navigating the Venture Capital Path
25:51 - Balancing Entrepreneurship with Family Life
31:01 - Early Challenges and Lessons Learned
35:08 - What’s Next for KiwiCo
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