It was in the heart of Detroit where Chris Abdur-Rahman Blauvelt developed the idea for LaunchGood, a faith-based crowdfunding platform. For Blauvelt, a Muslim-American entrepreneur born in Malaysia and raised in the United States, what guides his company is more than financial motivation.
“The vision for LaunchGood is about the activation of the community and changing the narrative around Muslims. It was never about the money, but more about storytelling and the power of community,” Blauvelt says. “What if we could have a platform that connected Muslims worldwide? We are so much stronger as a community when we work together.”
The founder and CEO says LaunchGood’s growth has been steady since its inception in 2013, laying a promising foundation for its future. The platform has hosted thousands of campaigns involving 1.6 million donors worldwide and has raised over $528 million in donated funds across 5,000 cities within the past decade.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been hurdles along the way. Blauvelt remembers LaunchGood’s early days when he had to navigate through challenges, triumphs and monumental efforts to transform his vision into reality.
LaunchGood’s unexpected hurdles
Blauvelt recalls the obstacles surrounding the first campaign on LaunchGood—rushing the creation of the website to host it and experiencing a lot of technical errors. This experience shaped the “you grow through what you go through” philosophy that has had the most profound impact on the platform’s growth, according to the CEO.
“Reflecting on our first campaign, there was a notable element of grit. While solving one problem, others arose,” Blauvelt says. “It required strength and courage to persistently work through those challenges.”
This mindset came in handy when LaunchGood later encountered unexpected issues with payment processing. Blauvelt says the company initially had no problems with payments or banking during its first five years. This changed in 2019 when LaunchGood’s payment processor suddenly kicked it out without warning.
The CEO remembers there being no prior indication of any problem, no clarity on what the issue was and no opportunity to challenge the decision or remedy the situation. He adds this continued to happen with three different payment processors in a year—an unfortunate experience he saw as banking discrimination.
Despite these challenges, LaunchGood managed to resolve its payment issues independently and has since seen significant growth. Blauvelt says the expected fundraising total for this year is $150 million in donations.
The future of LaunchGood
Regarding whether LaunchGood will live forever in the digital landscape, Blauvelt says he and his team are “building it to last forever.” The CEO believes everything evolves, especially with the rapid advancements in technology, but he is confident that the company will adapt successfully, regardless of what the future holds.
A decade later, the platform’s next goal is to facilitate $1 billion in donations every year. Blauvelt also wants to ensure LaunchGood plays a crucial role in helping transform lives. Although crowdfunding is the company’s forte, Blauvelt says he will continue to explore ideas and technology to empower Muslim organizations.
The CEO hopes his journey can inspire onlookers to pursue their own dreams with courage and determination and contribute toward making a true difference in the world. To any entrepreneurs who are interested in starting their own company from scratch, Blauvelt says this: “Get started, you’ll never have enough information, just learn along the way.”
