{"id":55245,"date":"2026-07-21T10:57:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/55245\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T10:57:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:57:07","slug":"orbitkeys-rex-kuo-on-kickstarter-beginnings-melbourne-life-and-taking-his-kids-to-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/55245\/","title":{"rendered":"Orbitkey’s Rex Kuo on Kickstarter beginnings, Melbourne life and taking his kids to Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"

It takes a lot to leave a successful career for a startup and equally it takes a lot to make a startup successful. Together with his co-founder, Rex Kuo has done both of those things, taking Orbitkey<\/a> from Kickstarter success story through to a global business, selling organisational products in over 40 countries. Here we chat to Rex about making it happen\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

I used to work as a pharmacist.<\/p>\n

I started Orbitkey with a schoolfriend of mine. I was already working as a pharmacist full-time and Charles, my co-founder, was an industrial designer. I always dabbled in little side businesses and hustles, and we were chatting one day and Charles said: \u201cHey, I\u2019ve been working on this prototype for ages\u2026\u201d At the time he was training for a half-marathon and had kind of like an OCD where he hated the sound of jangling keys. He had a stack of keys clamped together with standard screws that you can buy at the hardware shop and, yeah, it stopped the jingling, but his keys were permanently busted. I was like: \u201cThis is really cool, what about if we made it better?\u201d I remember I didn\u2019t like leaving my keys in the same pocket as my wallet because I didn\u2019t want it to scratch. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We smashed our Kickstarter campaign.<\/p>\n

After 9 months of tinkering we launched a campaign on Kickstarter. We set a goal of AU$10,000 because we thought it was a good amount of money that would give us enough to fund the first production if we put our money towards it as well. We hit that goal within the first 16hrs and it just kept going. There was one stage where we were joking, \u201cHow much would we have to raise for you to quit your job?\u201d He said: \u201c200,000 and I\u2019ll quit my job\u201d. We just laughed like, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s never going to happen\u2026\u201d \u2013 and sure enough by the end of the campaign we raised AU$210,000 and Charles quit his job. I was lucky as I could gradually step down from mine.<\/p>\n

We own 100% of Orbitkey ourselves <\/p>\n

We\u2019re not at the mercy of investors and trying to hit revenue targets, so we get to design things that we enjoy, or think are right. We currently have a Kickstarter campaign going for a modular desk organiser, and that just came about because Charles\u2019 drawers were really messy all the time. He\u2019s usually really organised but found that by the end of the week his drawers would be messy. We thought of a system whereby you can change the dividers, so there\u2019s an exact slot for everything. We can do little things like that \u2013 designs that we think are needed.<\/p>\n

One of the challenges we have is identifying who we want to make products for.<\/p>\n

The Key Organiser was such a success, but it was applicable to everyone because we all have keys so lots of people could use it. So, it\u2019s been difficult to identify the group of customers we want to support. We\u2019ve identified modern professionals and creatives who work in front of a computer, who do hybrid work or commute. We want to position ourselves as a brand to help these people feel more organised and make our accessories fun for them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Choosing my favourite product is like choosing my favourite child.<\/p>\n

The Key Organiser is the one that started it all, so that will always be special. And we\u2019ve had 13 years to refine it, so I don\u2019t think anyone in the world knows as much about key organisation as us. But I really like our foldable 55L duffel that folds down into the size of an A5 book so it can go in a backpack. I just got back from a trip and found it amazing how much I used it: grocery shopping, swimming, packing stuff for the kids and at duty-free\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I try not to, but I end up travelling for work a lot.<\/p>\n

During the early days of Orbitkey, before I had kids, I used to travel a lot. We\u2019d go from one trade show to another. There was one period before Covid where we did 10 or so trade shows back to back: UK, Germany, France, all over the place. Since having my kids I\u2019ve really tried to limit travel, but recently I have started to do more. When we do trade shows overseas, now that the kids are older I can bring them along. We recently did a show in Vegas \u2013 not the most kid-friendly place \u2013 but they came, and it was nice for them to see what Dad does!<\/p>\n

We always try to get away for pleasure too.<\/p>\n

We have friends of similar ages we like to travel with. I want to create memories for the kids, and for me too! The last place we visited was Singapore.<\/p>\n

Smart lights are on my to-do list at home.<\/p>\n

My house is on split levels, and somehow over time I\u2019ve invested in three separate robot vacuums because I got sick of carrying a robot from one level to the next. I have got smart security and everything on timers, but Charles does a better job with home tech \u2013 all of his lights are connected, and everything is timed and controlled by his phone.<\/p>\n

I feel lucky to live in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

Melbourne isn\u2019t too small \u2013 it\u2019s a major city so there are lots of opportunities to set up a business and grow. At the same time, it\u2019s so close to nature \u2013 it\u2019s a luxury being able to go to local parks or drive a bit to go hiking on the weekends. I know that\u2019s not always the case, having everything you need but being really close to nature as well. People in Melbourne are really laid-back, and I like the coffee culture here too.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Oribitkey here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Read more: Ultrahuman founder Mohit Kumar on making health tracking more accessible for everyone<\/a><\/p>\n

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