In playing a bit of catch-up this morning on the crowdfunding space, I’ve come across five good reads from the last week from various sources that I think are worth a look.
On The Other Side Of The Kickstarter Economy, Projects Are The Customers [FastCompany]
This is an interesting look into the small but growing ecosystem underlying rewards-based crowdfuding sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and others. Inevitably a lot of project creators need help in marketing and managing their campaigns, and there are an increasing number of service providers popping up to help them do just that.
Does It Matter Which Site You Use To Crowdfund [GigaOM]
This article sums up some of the takeaways from a recent data scrape of Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects, albeit with a more objective slant than some other outlets. In short, the article gives a nod to Kickstarter’s funding supremacy, but cautions project creators against using this as the only bar by which they measure a crowdfunding platform.
Crowdfunding: Capitalism Rebooted [Huffington Post]
A bit long winded, but a great reminder of one crowdfunding reality that is too often overlooked: running a crowdfunding campaign is a lot of work. There is also a great synopsis of some of the best resources online for crowdfunding information. (Other than Crowdfund Insider of course!) I’m a fan of the crowdfunding subreddit and Quora.
From Crowdfunding To ‘Real’ Business: This Glasses-Free 3D Tablet Is Trying To Go Big [VentureBeat]
This is a fascinating look at a crowdfunded tablet computer called the NEO3DO. The tablet was actually able to accomplish glasses-free 3D viewing. Since completing a successful round on Indiegogo, about 1000 units were delivered to backers. This article takes a look at what happens for tech projects like the NEO3DO after crowdfunding.
Why The Next Steve Jobs Will Come From Kickstarter [BusinessInsider]
This article actually likens the ethos of sites like Kickstarter to the feeling of being in the Homebrew Computer Club in the 70’s, where collaboration drove the types of innovations that have since revolutionized our world. In fact, the author makes the case that the reach and scale of today’s rewards-based crowdfunding tech movement actually surpasses that of this early, non-tech predecessor.