[Updated 6/5/2014] We’re living in a golden age for creators and entrepreneurs. If you don’t believe me, just look back about a decade and try to remember how hard it was to publish a book, make a movie, record an album, raise a seed round for your startup, get your software onto a mobile phone, or find a manufacturer for your awesome new widget. Now we’ve got technologies and funding models that make all of those things practical for anyone with a little talent and grit.
One of the most encouraging developments of all is the rise of crowdfunding forums: not just Kickstarter, the first and most famous crowdfunding site, but also Indiegogo and Quirky and RocketHub and (soon) Wefunder.
The upside of these sites for creators is fairly obvious. They represent a convenient—though certainly not effortless—way to raise money without having to give away an ownership stake in your company or indenture yourself to a bank or a bunch of angel and venture investors.
But what about the crowd? The benefits for the funders of these projects haven’t been talked about as much—but they’re just as key to the success of the crowdfunding system. There’s the swag, of course: the T-shirts, CDs, autographed postcards, and other mementos most project creators hand out to supporters. And more importantly, there’s the satisfaction of being part of a community that’s helping something new come into the world.
But related to that, there’s the opportunity to influence the direction of innovation, at least in a small way. Traditionally, that kind of power has belonged to people with pockets far deeper than mine, and probably yours.
This week, in an effort to make more use of this new power, I decided to create a small World Wide Wade Kickstarter Fund and contribute to 10 projects that I think are cool. I capped my fund at $100 and divided it up equally into 10 chunks. Yes, that’s peanuts, but I’ve got my reputation as a tightwad to protect. And the point isn’t really to help push these projects over their fundraising threshold—it’s just to have a little skin in the game for a change. (Don’t worry, I’m not about to start copying the bloggers who invest in the same startups they write about. That would be a violation of our ethics policy.)
There’s no common thread to these 10 projects, except that in some way they all represent creativity at its best, whether in the form of hardware, software, animation, community projects, or documentary film. I’ve collected the projects and their videos in alphabetical order below so that you, too, can donate if the mood strikes you.
But act soon, because time is running out for some of these projects. In fact, it seems likely that several of them won’t meet their goals without a last-minute surge in donations. In a few weeks I’ll write a follow-up column and let you know how the campaigns turned out.
For Pinterest fans, I’ve collected these examples, and a few more, on a public board called Kickstarter Projects I Love.
Update 11/16/12: I’ve added two more projects that deserve your attention—From Holden and Spark.
Update 6/5/14: I’ve updated the list with the final status of each project.
Bright Ideas: A Crowdfunding Almanac
Fundraising progress as as of Nov. 8, 2012: $6,090 pledged of $25,000 goal
Days to go (as of the original publication date of this article): 14
This one is a little meta: It’s a book about how to succeed at crowdfunding, featuring interviews with the creators of successful Kickstarter projects. It’s from Matthew and Mark McLachlan, brothers in Colorado who raised more than $44,000 on Kickstarter to build Soundjaw, a clip-on thingie that increases the sound output of an iPad or iPhone.
Final Status: Project canceled Nov. 22, 2012
Fundraising progress as of Nov. 8, 2012: $15,838 pledged of $29,200 goal
Days to go: 20
Rather than go to business school, Chicago-based social entrepreneur Victor Saad decided to take a year to do 12 apprenticeships in 12 months. Now he’s working on a book intended to chronicle his own experiences and encourage others to take similar risks with their careers.
Final status: Funding successful, $31,049 raised.
The Looking Planet—An Animated Short Film
Fundraising progress as of Nov. 8, 2012: $7,876 pledged of $18,000 goal
Days to go: 3
It’s the beautiful trailer for this 15-minute, computer-animated short sci-fi film that won me over. I love the retro-futuristic look, with its touches of Jules Verne gadgetry.
Final status: Funding unsuccessful, $8,417 pledged.
Fundraising progress as of Nov. 8, 2012: $10,630 pledged of $10,000 goal
Days to go: 8
This is just about the best cause I’ve ever seen on Kickstarter. MotherShip HackerMoms is a non-profit organization building a child-friendly hackerspace for creative moms in Berkeley, CA. They’re raising money to finish construction, buy equipment, and organize classes. The project has already met its goal, but the more money they collect, the fewer corners they’ll have to cut.
Final status: Funding successful, $12,564 raised.
Romo—The Smartphone Robot for Everyone
Fundraising progress as of Nov. 8, 2012: $142,048 pledged of $100,000 goal
Days to go: 5
In 2011, the founders of Las Vegas-based Romotive raised $115,000 on Kickstarter to build Romo, a robot on treads that uses an iPhone as its camera, controller, and brain. After spending months putting together 2,000 of the devices by hand, they’re now raising money to build a sleeker, more manufacturable version of the device, which is designed to support remote two-way telepresence on the cheap. The company calls Romo “a pet, a toy, a robot avatar, a powerful educational tool, and a blank slate for robotic programming.”
Final status: Funding successful, $170,034 raised.
