023: Ekster: The Most Successful Smart Wallet Brand in the World with Olivier Momma

Ten Years In The Making

Olivier Momma is the co-founder of Ekster, a D2C brand that makes “better gear for life on the go.” Think wallets, bags and accessories that aim to save customers time, so they can get back to living life.

They’re best known for their breakthrough trackable smart wallets and Forbes named them “The Most Successful Smart Wallet Brand in the World.”

Olivier and his partner started their first Kickstarter campaign with just an idea and a shoestring budget. They paid his sister $500 to shoot a video, which went on to raise a whopping $350,000 for the brand.

Today, Ekster is on pace to exceed $50M in annual revenue while growing from 12 to 45 employees over the past two years.

In this episode, you’ll hear Olivier discuss tips and tricks for success on Kickstarter, how quadrupling employee headcount has changed his role as a founder, and the best sales channels he’s found for D2C brands.

You’ll also learn how Olivier landed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, ideas for creating an effective D2C website, and how he secured a collaboration with soccer superstar Lionel Messi.

Key Takeaways with Olivier Momma

• Who is Forbes 30 Under 30 member Olivier Momma?
• The breakthrough product that put Ekster on pace to hit $50M in annual revenue.
• The ins and outs of Kickstarter that Olivier used to sell $350,000 from a campaign with a $500 budget.
• How "benchmarking brands" can lead to success for your business.
• What are the components of a successful D2C website?
• The reason Ekster has rejected every outside capital offer.
• The new dimensions of leadership entrepreneurs have to focus on when adding headcount to their teams.
• The biggest benefit of being on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list — and how Olivier got on the list.
• How Olivier stumbled upon developing "the most advanced solar panel in the world." Scaling a performance marketing team to test more than 100 pieces of content a week.
• Ekster's three best sales channels between $1M and $10M.
• How can founders know when it's time to increase their employee headcount?
• Why Ekster focuses almost exclusively on the U.S. market as a D2C brand.
• The "calculated luck" that Olivier used to do a marketing collaboration with Lionel Messi.

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