Company Profile: Craftsy
How does an private lesson in cake decorating with an expert cake decorator sound? What about getting the perfect quilting supplies delivered right to your door? If arts and crafts aren't exactly your thing maybe that doesn't sound so exciting. But, to a community of over 11 million, it's exactly what the industry was missing.
Started in 2010 by four tech entrepreneurs, two of which were former eBay executives, Craftsy is recognized as the clear leading online destination for artists, crafters, and makers. The Denver-based company is on a mission to fuel and facilitate education, creativity, and joy by providing an innovative, interactive learning platform and all the tools needed to bring inspiration to life.
Craftsy provides an online arts and crafts platform offering over 1,000 classes in 16 different categories, including quilting, knitting, cooking, jewelry making, wood working, and gardening. Additionally, Craftsy offers supplies, kits, and patterns to be delivered straight to your door so you're never running to the store mid-lesson. But, if you do have to run out mid-project, Craftsy has highly customizable lessons—slow down, speed up, and repeat tricky parts as many times as you want. You can even ask their expert instructors questions during the lesson.
Just last week, Craftsy announced a new partnership with famous craft store chain, Michaels, which will bring the preeminent learning platform to Michael's extensive network. John Levisay, CEO and co-founder of Craftsy, said,
"Our partnership with Michaels takes [Craftsy's] mission one step further by expanding Craftsy's product offerings with Michaels' unmatched DIY merchandise, giving our students an even broader canvas to express themselves and bring their creative visions to life."
The partnership gives Michaels customers exclusive offers to access Craftsy's community while giving Craftsy members access to products from one of the world's largest craft supply retailers. With a shared passion to foster and facilitate creativity, the partnership is suggested to be beneficial for both companies and crafters everywhere.
Craftsy has received major features from prominent outlets, including Inc. Magazine, Forbes, The New York Times, and Entrepreneur.