There have been a lot of successes in the world of crowdfunding. Many businesses have been able to not only meet their goals, but completely exceed them – including massive stretch goals. Here is a look at some of the best crowdfunding campaigns of all time to inspire you to create your own innovative ideas.
1. Pebble
This smartwatch was the first real big success that Kickstarter had. Raising over $10 million in just 37 days, many backers came on board because Pebble was one of the first really affordable smartwatches to hit the market. It took almost a year for Pebble to deliver their first watch, which didn’t make the backers happy. Their campaign helped people realize that a crowdfunding campaign isn’t really an online store.
2. Ouya
This game console, based on open-source technology, took the crowdfunding world by storm and raised over $8.5 million in less than a month. They were also able to deliver the promised products in about a year after the campaign ended.
3. Veronica Mars
This movie project became the first fully funded movie project to hit Hollywood where it was the fans who got what they wanted. Nearly $5 million was raised and the result was a movie that looked like a high budget Hollywood hit. It was distributed through theaters and onto DVD nearly simultaneously, but the result was a profitable venture for the movie company and fans loved the results.
4. Pono
This is a music distribution service that could be best described as a self-publishing entity. It’s a way for fans to hear music exactly as the artists intended it to be heard. Over $6 million was raised in just 30 days, though backers have yet to receive the promised product that was listed in the rewards.
5. Reading Rainbow
The breakout Kickstarter hit of 2014 is definitely Reading Rainbow. With an established name and a lot of support from established actors like Patrick Stewart and William Shatner helping out their Star Trek alumni, a goal of $1 million was exceeded in 24 hours. With over 105,000 backers and nearly $6.5 million raised in total, classrooms are going to continue getting the resources they need to help kids how to read.
6. Bitvore
Data mining is a necessity for modern business, but it can be difficult for a small business to consume large amounts of data. Bitvore can help make this happen and a $4.5 million equity fundraiser on Fundable is helping them further develop their product.
7. The Dash
The Dash is the first in-ear headphones that are wireless and smart. It works as a fitness tracker and a music player, raising over $3.3 million on Kickstarter in less than 60 days. It’s another instance where backers have yet to receive their product, however, which again emphasizes the reward-based structure is still an investment more than a purchase.
8. Formlabs
Backers who pledge $2,299 or more got a 3D printer from this crowdfunding campaign and in total, Formlabs raised nearly $3 million in total. The goal was to bring affordable 3D printing to the general public and it was one of the first 3D printers to be fully developed through crowdfunding.
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