VCU names Kickstarter CEO as May 2025 commencement speaker

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The CEO of the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter will be the keynote speaker at Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) commencement in May.

Everette Taylor, the CEO of Kickstarter since September 2022, is set to speak at the VCU commencement, which will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, located at 403 N. Third Street.

Previously, Taylor was the chief marketing officer of Artsy, an online marketplace for buying and selling art. He was also named one of the world's most innovative CMOs by Business Insider and one of the world’s most influential CMOs by Forbes, according to the university.

Taylor started his own company at the age of 19. He has held multiple other leadership positions, including the on-demand rental car company Skurt, the B2B software company Qualaroo and the e-commerce company Sticker Mule.

At last year's graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 11, 2024, VCU students walked out in protest as Gov. Glenn Youngkin began his keynote speech.

For more information, including the department ceremonies and an RSVP link for new graduates, visit VCU's commencement page.