Redbubble
Founders
Martin Hosking, Peter Styles, Paul Vanzella · Founded 2006 · HQ today: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Redbubble was founded by Martin Hosking, Peter Styles, Paul Vanzella in 2006. It is now led by Vivek Kumar.
Redbubble began in Melbourne in 2006 as an online art community and shop. The founders funded it themselves, then raised a little over $2.58 million (A$4 million) from angel investors. The idea was simple: artists should be able to sell prints, shirts and stickers without paying for stock up front, because each item is made only after someone orders it.
| Founder | Role at founding | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Hosking | Co-founder & CEO | — |
| Peter Styles | Co-founder & early Managing Director | — |
| Paul Vanzella | Co-founder | — |
Australian entrepreneur and diplomat.
Martin Hosking co-founded Redbubble in 2006. A former Australian diplomat, he realized there was absolutely no centralized global marketplace for independent artists to monetize their quirky, niche designs. He secured the early funding and guided the company through a massive IPO, serving as CEO multiple times during its most turbulent periods. Martin Hosking was born in 1959.
Australian tech entrepreneur.
Peter Styles co-founded Redbubble in 2006. He played an absolutely critical role in the early operational setup of the marketplace, helping to establish the highly complex initial supply chain connecting artists to third-party printers. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Australian designer and entrepreneur.
Paul Vanzella co-founded Redbubble in 2006. He helped design the incredibly crucial early user interface and community guidelines that fostered a massive, highly loyal network of independent artists to supply the platform with millions of designs. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Derek Yung
Group Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he managed the massive financial volatility following the post-pandemic e-commerce crash.
Vivek Kumar
Group CEO & Managing Director, Articore Group
As a senior executive, he helped manage the highly complex platform scaling during the pandemic.
Robin Mendelson
Chair of the Board
Brought massive Amazon marketplace expertise to the board, heavily influencing the shift towards profitability.
Michael Ilczynski
Chief Executive Officer
Serving briefly as CEO, he tried to stabilize the completely collapsing share price after the pandemic boom.
Martin Hosking
Co-founder; former CEO and Managing Director
As Co-Founder, he remains the absolute spiritual and strategic anchor of the company.
Redbubble was founded in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, by entrepreneurs Martin Hosking, Peter Styles, and Paul Vanzella.
The founders recognized that millions of talented visual artists, illustrators, and photographers had amazing work stored on their hard drives with no viable way to sell it physically without spending thousands on upfront manufacturing, inventory, and shipping.
Martin Hosking co-founded Redbubble in 2006 and led it as CEO through its 2016 ASX listing. He worked in the Australian foreign service and at search company LookSmart before Redbubble, and later returned to lead the group during its 2023-2025 turnaround before Vivek Kumar became Group CEO.
Peter Styles was a co-founder and the early managing director of Redbubble. Paul Vanzella, a Melbourne graphic designer, co-founded the company and shaped its artist community.
The founders initially funded Redbubble themselves and then raised a little over $2.58 million (A$4 million) from angel investors in Australia and overseas by early 2009.
In May 2016, Redbubble completed its initial public offering (IPO) on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: RBL), raising $39.8 million AUD to accelerate international expansion and technology R&D.
Alongside companies like Envato and Canva, Redbubble put Australia on the global digital commerce map, demonstrating that a global creator marketplace could be built from Melbourne to serve millions of international customers.
The founding belief that independent creators deserve a platform to monetize their passions, express diverse identities, and connect with global audiences remains the heart of Redbubble's mission.
Redbubble was founded in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, by Martin Hosking, Peter Hershberg, and Paul Vanzella.
Martin Hosking brought deep internet entrepreneurship and capital-raising experience from LookSmart; Peter Hershberg brought technical software architecture expertise; and Paul Vanzella brought visual design and creative agency experience.
The founders saw that while musicians and authors had digital distribution platforms, visual artists were trapped selling low-volume prints at local weekend craft markets or paying thousands for unsold t-shirt inventory.
The founders bootstrapped the initial prototype in Melbourne, writing software that automatically mapped high-resolution digital artwork onto 3D product mockups and integrating APIs with early digital textile printers.
The name Redbubble was chosen to symbolize a vibrant, energetic sphere of creative expression—a dynamic collective where independent creators could stand out and connect with passionate buyers.
The founders personally engaged with online design forums, art schools, and photography clubs in Australia and the US, convincing early creators that Redbubble would fiercely protect their copyright while delivering monthly royalty checks.
The founders were celebrated as trailblazers of the Victorian technology ecosystem, demonstrating that a consumer marketplace built in Melbourne could achieve global dominance with over 90% international revenues.
The founders’ enduring belief—that independent creativity makes the world more interesting and that every artist deserves the opportunity to earn a living from their passion—remains the driving compass of the company.
Compare founding stories, origins, and entrepreneurial journeys
Explore Redbubble
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.