Kickstarter Virtuoso to Speak at TechfestNW About Coolest Cooler

It's hard not to cheer for Ryan Grepper.

A serial and failed entrepreneur, Grepper tried several businesses that flopped. A Jell-O catapult. An easier way to hang pictures. A Swiss Army-like cooler. All failed, including the cooler, until Grepper took it back to the tool shed, redesigned it completely and then brought it back to Kickstarter. This time, 62,000 people pledged more than $13 million to make Coolest Cooler the second-highest-funded Kickstarter program in history (a watch is in first place).

At last year's TFNW, Grepper entertained the crowd by making margaritas from his Coolest Cooler, which is sort of a mobile picnic party and comes equipped with a USB charger, blender, Bluetooth speakers, an LED lid and rubber wheels, plus all that normal space for ice and drinks and stuff.

This year he is back to speak about the challenges of actually building a company once the funding is in place. 

The Portland father of two used to sell medical equipment, but now finds himself involved with a design team in Ohio, manufacturing facilities overseas and responding to the clamoring of those who are waiting on his Cooler, which finally started shipping last month.

"The Coolest is complex. Each aspect of it was really like its own project," Grepper says.

"The Coolest is better than I could have imagined," Grepper replied in an email. "I can't wait for backers to receive theirs and share their experiences."

Watch Grepper demonstrating his Coolest Cooler.

WWeek 2015