Over the past year, we’ve come across a couple of innovative projects—one was a documentary, the other a band’s throwback vinyl record—being funded through Kickstarter.
Kickstarter, if you haven’t seen it, is worth a look. The web site says it’s the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Anyone with a good idea can pitch it, define how much money they need, and visitors to the site can opt to kick in any amount toward that budget. In return, there might be a credit on a movie, or a copy of the record, or some other reward. If the accumulated pledges don’t meet the minimum budget, the project is scuttled. “Every week,” Kickstarter says, “tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields.”
We just came across a great project to improve and commercialize a young inventor’s ultralight camp stove. The Backcountry Boiler weighs less than 10 ounces, consumes mere scraps of found fuel (twigs, grass, pinecones, virtually anything flammable), and can bring 2 cups of water to a boil in less than five minutes. A variation of the venerable chimney kettle, the boiler has a neoprene sleeve so it can be lifted and the contents poured out.
We like this because it’s innovative and efficient. And we think it’s cool that the internet and specifically Kickstarter are giving people in garages all over the world a chance to realize their million-dollar ideas. In the case of the Backcountry Boiler, the initial budget was set at $20,000. To date, online support is over $60,000.
