Since 2005, Etsy has built a global platform for craft and design, “connecting an intrinsic desire to make things” that is deeply human.

Randy Hunt has overseen an explosion of ways to connect users to this growing community through powerful online tools and local events. Etsy Teams provide rich social media tools to help groups share what they know and what they make online.

Etsy Labs in Brooklyn and Berlin offer physical spaces to help sellers develop new techniques, business plans and web design skills through meet-ups and training workshops.

When we spoke to Randy, the company had just launched its partnership with the city of Rockford, Illinois. Etsy put local government in touch with Etsy sellers from the Rockford area to begin thinking about how making could support community development. In the fall Etsy will work with educators in Rockford to develop an open-source Craft Entrepreneurship Curriculum.