Kickstarter’s executive exodus: One cofounder departs, another steps back

Things are changing over at Kickstarter.

Cofounder Charles Adler is leaving the New York-based crowdfunding website, Kickstarter CEO Perry Chen revealed in a blog post today.

“Charles has long been itching to move with his family back to Chicago, and now that timing is right,” wrote Chen. “He’ll be sorely missed, but he’ll stay connected as an advisor as he explores new adventures.”

Adler’s fellow cofounders are assuming new roles, too. Chen will become the company’s Chairman, while Yancey Strickler will step into the CEO role.

“I’m looking forward to stepping away from the day-to-day to consider our path from a new perspective,” said Chen. “In the Chairman role I’ll continue to offer big-picture guidance, support key projects, and assist our amazing team. I’m also looking forward to having time to work on creative projects of my own, after all these years working on an engine to support them.”

Despite Adler’s departure and his reduced role at the company, Perry promises the site is in “phenomenal” hands.

“We aim for Kickstarter to serve this mission for generations,” he said. “Hats will change. Hats will change again. In the next few months we’ll pass a billion dollars pledged on Kickstarter. We could have never imagined we’d get this far. This is still just the beginning.”

Since it launched in April 2009, Kickstarter has become the world’s most popular crowdfunding website. It recently hit two crowdfunding milestones, surpassing more than 50,000 successfully funded projects and more than five million backers.

Kickstarter launched with a focus on the U.S. market — likely because its decision to use Amazon Payments made it difficult to expand internationally. Slowly but surely, though, the site has come to a few additional countries: Kickstarter opened up to project creators in the U.K. Oct. 2012, and to Canadians this past September. It plans to launch in Australia and New Zealand Nov. 13.