9 Astonishing Crowdfunding Success Stories
The goal: $100,000
Final amount raised: $1,664,574
This scanner reads a user’s vital signs when they hold it to their forehead, and can relay health information back to your smartphone. The makers knew the product would need FDA approval before it could go mainstream, but instead of waiting in line, they turned to Indiegogo to raise funds and awareness, and to let backers test the Scout for usability to help speed up the FDA approval process. It became one of the most funded Indiegogo campaigns ever, and $14 million in venture capital funding followed.
The goal: $100,000
Final amount raised: $846,675
Misfit Shine, a wireless activity tracker, was rejected by Kickstarter. Its creators took to Indiegogo with a goal of raising $100,000. They hit that target in just nine hours. The tracker is now available in the Apple Store, Best Buy, and Target stores in the U.S.
The goal: $15,000
Final amount raised: $15,326
The founders of Emmy's Organics, a gluten-free, vegan, raw food company, took out a small business loan, but it wasn’t enough. Instead of taking out another, they turned to the crowd. Their campaign raised more than $15,000 and the company’s products are now sold in supermarkets in almost every state.
The goal: $15,000
Final amount raised: $577,636
Originally rejected by Kickstarter, this salt gun kills houseflies with a “miniaturized shotgun effect.” Instead of firing shells, this gun fires regular old table salt. It reached its goal in two months.
Bug-A-Salt
The goal: $9,000
Final amount raised: $12,790
Author Adam Smiley Poswolsky wanted to raise funds for his book on Kickstarter because he “felt like it had the best brand recognition of any crowdfunding site.” But Kickstarter’s rule against self-help books forced him to look elsewhere. He launched an Indiegogo campaign. “Four days later,” he says, “I was halfway to my goal, and had already raised over $5,000.” He surpassed his goal in one month.
indiegogo
The goal: $35,000
Final amount raised: $149,483
For their fourth album, a band called We The Kings decided that instead of working with a label, it wanted to work directly with fans. “No label, No limits, just us and the fans working TOGETHER,” the members said on their Indiegogo campaign. They reached their goal of $35,000 in less than a day, raising $149,483 overall. The resulting album debuted in the No. 2 2 slot on the overall iTunes album charts.
The goal: $60,000
Final amount raised: $61,344
A sizable rent increase was forcing this old San Francisco bookstore to close up shop. Through Indiegogo, it was able to raise enough money to keep the business alive, form a new business plan, and find a new location.
The goal: $53,800
Final amount raised: $108,371
Outraged by a violent government reaction to peaceful protest in Istanbul in 2013, a group of Turkish citizens wanted to raise awareness. Turkey’s media was avoiding the conflict, so activists set their sights on The New York Times. In one week, the Indiegogo campaign raised more than enough money for a full-page ad demanding an end to the violence, open dialogue, and an investigation into the government.
The goal: $5,000
Final amount raised: $8,050
“Today is my 28th birthday. If given one wish, I’d wish to be a Mom.” Jessica Haley posted this on Indiegogo in 2011 after she and her husband Sean had tried unsuccessfully for three years to conceive. They wanted to try fertility treatments, but said their insurance wouldn’t cover it. Thanks to donations, they got the treatment, and their son Landon was born in April 2012.
Indiegogo