There were some amazing events in 2014 for Kickstarter. Reading Rainbow’s campaign brought in over 100k contributors. Coolest set the record for the most money ever raised on a single campaign with over $13 million in pledges received. In total, more than 3.3 million people pledged money to projects on the crowdfunding site.
The grand total pledged? $529 million. This is more than $40 million more in pledges from the 2013 numbers.
Kickstarter Had a Number of Successful Projects
The fact that Kickstarter had several campaigns achieve multimillion dollar funding is notable for the fact that the crowdfunding campaign does not offer partial funding options. If your goal is $2 million and you raise $1.7 million in pledges, then you get nothing. That’s why the $6.2 million that Pono raised, the $3.4 million for a micro 3D printer, or even the 3.4 million for wireless ear buds that track vitals are notable accomplishments.
With that being said, not all of the $529 million in pledges was actually paid out. A portion of it was refunded because projects didn’t receive the funding that was requested. Even so, there were over 22,000 successful projects in 2014, which is the most Kickstarter has ever had in one single year.
Technology Had the Best Year on Kickstarter
Gadgets had a big year in 2014 on Kickstarter. This crowdfunding platform brought in $125 million in pledges for the various gadgets and trinkets that people put forth. Design and game categories also saw success levels at over $80 million in pledges. At the bottom end of the spectrum, journalism, crafts, and dance barely registered on the charts.
There is also some unique data about crowdfunding that Kickstarter was able to discover in 2014. The most popular day to fund a project, for example, is on Wednesday. Most pledges tend to occur around 1pm, which means people are browsing Kickstarter when they’re on a lunch break.
Crowdfunding is a source of money that can no longer be ignored. Half a billion dollars is proof that this concept is working and this is on just one platform. If you have a new product or a fresh idea, then let Kickstarter run with it. You could have the best multimillion dollar idea of 2015.
Strong proponent of individual liberty and free speech. My goal is to present information that expands our awareness of crucial issues and exposes the manufactured illusion of freedom that we are sold in America. Question everything because nothing is what it seems.
