Would you like to sleep better and feel happier and less anxious? Who wouldn’t? That’s still the sales pitch for Gravity, a weighted blanket available on Kickstarter that has collected $3 million in pledges. However, after the science behind its boasts was challenged, the Gravity blanket no longer claims that it can treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia. [More]
the crowdfunding crowd
Helmet Company Collects $2.5 Million In Crowdfunding Funds, Doesn’t Ship Helmets, Goes Bankrupt
By 8.12.16
The Skully was meant to be the first augmented-reality motorcycle helmet, giving riders information from their GPS in a heads-up display, and even showing a feed from a rear-view camera in their field of vision. Sounds like an amazing product… that will never actually ship, even as excited backers on IndieGoGo put down amounts from $500 to $2,000 for deposits or pre-payment for their helmets. [More]
Coolest Tells Kickstarter Backers That Coolers Are Further Delayed
By 2.29.16
The Coolest hit Kickstarter in 2014, raising over $13 million and promising backers “a party disguised as a cooler.” That party may be winding down or at least significantly delayed, as the project’s creator says that they’re looking for an investor to help keep cranking out coolers. [More]
Kickstarter Hires Investigative Reporter To Figure Out Where Mini-Drone Campaign Went Wrong
By 1.20.16
A company based in Wales showed up on Kickstarter with what looked like a working prototype of a really impressive consumer drone small enough to land on a saucer. Yet the promised drones never shipped. What happened? Kickstarter decided to find out, taking an unusual tactic: the company hired a local investigative reporter to, well, investigate. This week, the report came out. [More]
Kickstarter-Funded LinkWallet Misses Promised Deadline For Refunds
By 12.30.15
Last year, we shared the frustrations of people who backed a product called PingWallet, (later LinkWallet) on Kickstarter. The wallets were supposed to ship at the end of 2013, then were delayed to the end of 2014. When that deadline passed, the founders declared that they would issue refunds to backers by December 22, 2015. That would be a satisfactory result if those refunds had ever been sent. [More]
Does The Laser Razor Yanked From Kickstarter Actually Work? Well, Sort Of
By 11.23.15
The prospect of shaving oneself with a laser is, in theory, unfathomably cool. That’s what made the Skarp razor an incredibly successful project on Kickstarter before the platform canceled the campaign due to the apparent lack of a working prototype. Was that really true? How well would the razor work for an unbiased observer? CNET sent a reporter and his arm hair to find out. [More]
Cooler Raises $13.3M On Kickstarter, Tries To Sell More On Amazon Before Shipping To All Backers
By 11.19.15
Last August, one of the most financially successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time concluded. It was a cooler called the Coolest, which was pricey but promised to contain most of what you need for a beach party. $300 backers were supposed to receive the Coolest, which would retail for $500. Then backers noticed that the product was available on Amazon’s crowdfunded products section… even though original backers from over a year ago hadn’t received theirs yet. [More]
Laser Razor Raises $4 Million, Gets Kicked Off Kickstarter For Maybe Not Existing
By 10.13.15
Hey, remember how a few years ago, Kickstarter changed their rules to require that all hardware projects funded through the platform actually exist in a working form? Late last night, Kickstarter enforced that policy on a campaign that had already raised $4 million. Kickstarter administrators apparently didn’t believe that the product, which promises a “shaving revolution,” exists yet as promised. [More]
Know Your Crowdfunding Platforms: Missions, Fees, And Rules
By 9.30.14
You have an idea, or you have an urgent financial need, and you want to turn to the Internet to make funding happen. Or let’s say some acquaintance is asking for money on Facebook for what seems like a cool project or worthy cause, but you wonder: what the heck is an “indie go go?” Why is the site itself asking me for a donation, too? [More]
