History of
Hanzo Industries.
From startup to AI powerhouse, our journey of transformation, innovation, and purpose.
Our Story
Hanzo Industries, Inc. – originally known as Crowdstart under Verus Media – has undergone several transformations since its inception. Founded by Zach Kelling (with David Tai as co-founder) in the mid-2010s, the company evolved from a crowd-powered marketing platform into a Techstars-backed artificial intelligence venture, and ultimately into a multifaceted AI technology provider.
Along the way, Hanzo has achieved notable milestones in product development, fundraising, and partnerships, while navigating pivots and challenges that shaped its guiding philosophy. Our journey demonstrates the power of adaptability, resilience, and first-principles thinking in building technology that enables others.
Today, operating under the umbrella Hanzo Industries, Inc., we remain small but influential, proving the mantra that a lean, mission-driven team can punch well above its weight. Our mission is to accelerate human entrepreneurship through intelligent technology and timeless wisdom.
Our Journey Through Time
From crowd-powered marketing to AI innovation, explore the key milestones that shaped Hanzo Industries.
Origins: Verus Media & Crowdstart
Zach Kelling founded Verus Media and launched Crowdstart, a platform to harness crowd-driven data and AI to help businesses grow.
"Record-breaking product launches and significant crowdfunding success."
Reimagining as Hanzo
The company formally incorporated as Hanzo AI, Inc., focusing on AI-powered marketing and development platforms.
"Helped launch some of the most successful crowdsales in history."
Techstars Acceleration
Selected for the inaugural Techstars Kansas City accelerator cohort, sharpening focus on e-commerce SaaS.
"23 beta users and $42M in client sales by Demo Day."
AI Marketing & Blockchain
Pivoted to AI marketing platform and blockchain technology, supporting tokenized crowdfunding.
"Co-founded the first SEC-approved crowdfunding token offering."
Product Innovation
Launched Hanzo Dev, an AI-powered code editor and app builder translating natural language to live software.
"Open-sourced Hanzo Base, a powerful backend framework."
Strategic Partnerships
Formed key alliances like Personas Social Inc. partnership to expand Keek's user base using Hanzo's AI.
"Driven over $1B in revenues to clients using AI-powered marketing."
The Zen of Hanzo
Our guiding philosophy - a set of first principles and laws that act as our north star.
Enable the Underdog
Enable others to win. Democratize technology so small businesses and startups can compete with industry giants.
Data-Driven Everything
Let data be your guide. Embrace analytics and AI as the foundation of decision-making.
Open Innovation
Be open, share often. Openness accelerates growth—both for the company and its community.
Adaptability
Pivot with purpose. There is no failure, only feedback. Move quickly and strike in new directions when opportunity calls.
Customer-Centric Growth
Coach clients like a sensei. Treat each client as a long-term partner and guide them to success.
First Principles Thinking
See the invisible, do the impossible. Boil problems down to their essence and solve them in fundamentally better ways.
The Sensei Method
A practical framework for applying AI and data to achieve exponential growth for businesses. If the "Zen of Hanzo" is the theory, the Sensei Method is the practice.
Identify First-Principle Goals
Drill down to the fundamental objectives that drive real value.
Rapid Prototyping
Build quickly, test assumptions, and iterate with purpose.
Data-Driven Decisions
Measure impact, analyze patterns, and let insights guide strategy.
Sensei Mentorship
Work directly with expert "senseis" to implement and refine your approach.
The Impact of Sensei
Through the Sensei Method and Sensei Group, we've helped clients generate over $1 billion in revenue, launch groundbreaking products, and build scalable businesses.
Client Revenue
Product Launches
Years Experience