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Kickstarter Co-Founder to Keynote ASTRA Marketplace 2019

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) announced former Kickstarter CEO and co-founder Yancey Strickler will headline ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy 2019.

Strickler is a nationally recognized thought leader, entrepreneur, author, and speaker.

This year’s event, themed More than a Toy Show, will take place June 9-12 in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Strickler will open the third day of the Marketplace exhibit hall on June 12 with a keynote presentation focused on harnessing the power of creativity to grow your business.

He will draw on his experience as Cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter, the pioneering crowdfunding company that has helped artists and creators bring more than 100,000 new creative projects to life. He is also Cofounder of the artist resource The Creative Independent, which publishes daily essays on the creative process. Strickler has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

“Like Yancey Strickler, many ASTRA members share the experience of starting or building businesses, which requires out-of-the-box thinking and the willingness to approach business challenges through a creative lens,” says Kimberly Mosley, president of ASTRA. “Yancey has seen how unleashing creativity has been transformative for so many projects, organizations, and companies. Wee are eager to learn from his insights.”

Strickler’s keynote will be delivered on Wednesday, June 12 from 8:30-10 AM.

Register online or at the ASTRA Booth at Toy Fair at Javits booth 6414 to attend this year’s show.