Launching a hardware startup is a daunting expedition, akin to navigating a treacherous and uncharted sea. The challenges are many, from perfecting the product design to sourcing quality materials and ensuring seamless manufacturing. Hardware entrepreneurs often face production delays, cost overruns and unforeseen technical hurdles that can leave even the most determined feeling defeated. In this landscape, Kickstarter has emerged as a much-needed beacon, illuminating the path to success for countless visionary innovators. This revolutionary crowdfunding platform changed the game, giving hardware startups a chance to bring their ideas to life without the traditional reliance on big investors or corporate giants. Through the power of the crowd, these creators found a passionate community willing to invest not just financially, but emotionally, in the realisation of their ambitious dreams.
Kickstarter’s impact on the hardware startup ecosystem was nothing short of seismic. Suddenly, brilliant ideas that would have languished for lack of funding or industry support had their moment in the spotlight. This democratisation of innovation unleashed a tidal wave of creativity, fueling an explosion of daring projects and groundbreaking products that dared to challenge the status quo.
Here are five amazing stories of such products and the companies they spawned (although one hasn’t survived to this day).
Founder: Nikolaj Hviid
Product: Wireless headphones
Amount raised: $3.4 million
Foto: bragi.com
Bragi, the pioneering startup that shook up the audio world with its ambitious vision, embarked on a transformative journey that began with an electrifying Kickstarter campaign. In 2014, company founder Nikolaj Hviid introduced the world to the groundbreaking Dash, a wireless earbud like no other, combining premium audio quality, fitness tracking capabilities and innovative touch controls.
“I’ve made well over 100 products in my life, so I thought I had a good understanding of what it takes to make these things,” says Hviid, the former head of Designit Munich and head of design at renowned audio company Harman. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
As Bragi rode the wave of Kickstarter success, they used the momentum to transition into a formidable audio ecosystem. Beyond the Dash, the company expanded its portfolio to include a range of innovative earbuds and audio products that cater to different user needs. Today, the company acts as a platform for companies to produce high-quality audio devices under their own brands, without having to bear the immense R&D costs of building a completely bespoke device.
Founder: Casey Hopkins
Product: Docks and other accessories for Apple products
Amount raised: $1.6m in two campaigns
Foto: elevationlab.com
A rising star in the tech world, Elevation Lab captured the hearts of gadget enthusiasts with its groundbreaking Kickstarter campaign for the Elevation Dock. In 2011, founder Casey Hopkins set out to solve a persistent problem for smartphone users – the lack of a reliable, one-handed docking solution. Enter the Elevation Dock, an exquisitely designed aluminium dock that perfectly cradled iPhones and allowed for effortless one-handed docking and undocking. The campaign struck a chord with backers who had been searching for a high-quality, easy-to-use dock that didn’t sacrifice aesthetics for functionality. The response was overwhelming and the Elevation Dock surpassed its funding goal in a matter of hours.
As backers eagerly awaited the arrival of their Elevation Docks, they were treated to a meticulous and transparent production process, with frequent updates and communication from the company. This process kicked off Elevation Lab’s ongoing commitment to creating user-centric, elegant solutions that would come to define their brand. They currently produce a range of accessories including Airtag attachments for bikes, skis, bags and pets, as well as docks, cable holders, external batteries and many other decluttering gadgets. The biggest testament to their success is that their products are sold in Apple Stores and counterfeited on Amazon.
Founders: Max Bogue, Peter Dilworth and Daniel Cowen
What it does: 3D printing pens
Amount raised: $3.9m in two campaigns
Foto: 3Doodler
WobbleWorks, the creative force behind the remarkable 3Doodler, has cemented its name in Kickstarter history with an impressive crowdfunding campaign. Back in 2013, the concept of a handheld 3D printing pen was a sci-fi dream, but WobbleWorks set out to make it a reality. The 3Doodler allowed users to draw three-dimensional structures with ease, freeing creativity from the limitations of traditional 2D medium. Within hours, WobbleWorks had surpassed its funding goal, and the 3Doodler’s Kickstarter journey became a riveting spectacle. The success of the campaign exceeded even the wildest expectations, attracting widespread media attention and thousands of backers eager to get their hands on this revolutionary tool.
As usual, the measure of a hardware startup’s success is the number of imitators. Low-quality copies of the 3Doodler can be found in toy shops and online retailers around the world.
And just this summer, they returned to their platform of choice and successfully launched a culinary version of their pen, the ChefDoodler. At a modest $69,000, it’s a far cry from the millions the original made, but expect more fancy desserts in the years to come.
Founder: Eric Migicovsky
Product: Smartwatches
Amount raised: $30.6m in two campaigns
Foto: Pebble watch Smartwatches
Unlike some of the other examples on this list, this company was both astonishingly successful and ultimately doomed. And while other examples suffered at the hands of cheaper knock-offs from unknown brands, Pebble was killed by the likes of Apple and Google.
Pebble, the once revered smartwatch pioneer, enjoyed a meteoric rise on Kickstarter, capturing the hearts of tech enthusiasts around the world. In 2012, Eric Migicovsky and his team unveiled the Pebble smartwatch, a sleek and affordable wearable that promised to seamlessly integrate with users’ smartphones. The campaign took Kickstarter by storm, breaking records and becoming one of the platform’s most successful projects at the time. Backers were drawn to the Pebble’s e-ink display, long battery life and versatile app ecosystem. As the buzz grew, the Pebble brand became iconic, with passionate followers eagerly awaiting the arrival of their futuristic timepieces. The Pebble watch was seen as a disruptive force in the wearables market, boasting impressive features and undercutting the competition on price. However, as the smartwatch market became increasingly saturated and tech giants entered the fray, Pebble faced mounting challenges that would eventually lead to its fall from grace.
Despite its initial triumph, Pebble’s fortunes took a turn for the worse as it struggled to compete with the likes of Apple and Android Wear. The company faced production delays, software hiccups and funding issues, which strained their relationship with backers and consumers alike. The launch of the Apple Watch in 2015 dealt a significant blow to Pebble’s market share, and the pressure to stay afloat became insurmountable. In 2016, following an ambitious Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time 2 and Pebble Core, the company announced its unexpected demise. Pebble’s fall was a cautionary tale for the tech world, reminding us that even Kickstarter triumphs can be fleeting in the fast-paced, cutthroat landscape of consumer electronics. In recent years, even the most basic official support has dried up, with the unofficial Rebble community keeping the aging devices ticking along.
Founder: Palmer Luckey
Product: Virtual reality headset
Amount raised: $2.4 million
Foro: Oculus / Virtual reality headset
The Oculus Rift, a name that has become synonymous with virtual reality, has its roots in a bold Kickstarter campaign that sparked a seismic shift in the tech industry. In 2012, Palmer Luckey and his team set out to bring immersive virtual reality experiences to the masses. The campaign took Kickstarter by storm as backers flocked to support this groundbreaking project that promised to transport them to new worlds. The Oculus Rift’s Kickstarter success was nothing short of extraordinary, smashing its funding goal within hours and capturing the imagination of tech enthusiasts worldwide. With its innovative design and the backing of influential figures such as John Carmack, the Rift demonstrated the immense potential of crowdfunding to shape the future of technology and created a passionate community eager to embrace the virtual reality revolution.
The Oculus Rift’s journey didn’t end with Kickstarter; it was just the beginning of an incredible saga. As the Rift continued to garner praise and anticipation, a surprising twist unfolded in 2014 when social media giant Facebook announced its acquisition of Oculus VR for a staggering $2 billion. The news sparked heated debate and divided the virtual reality faithful, with many questioning the impact of a corporate takeover on the once independent startup. Nevertheless, Oculus’ integration into the Facebook (now Meta) ecosystem allowed it to access significant resources and expand its reach, setting the stage for a new era in virtual reality development. Today, Oculus is at the heart of the transition to the metaverse and remains one of the best-selling and most recognisable VR devices in the world.
