For startups, Kickstarter can be the key to success: It exposes your name and your product, and it lets you raise money from anyone in exchange for incentives.
The crowdfunding platform puts the power in the hands (and the pockets) of the people, essentially democratizing the fundraising process and allowing startups to have a more direct line of communication with their customers. Kickstarter has raised $1,200,690,155 to successfully fund 65,076 projects since its launch in 2009.
We've compiled a list of the highest-funded projects in Kickstarter's five-year history, explaining who they are, what they made, and how successful they've been since making it big with their crowdfunded projects.
The Micro, a 3-D printer small enough for your desktop
Goal: $50,000
Raised: $3,401,361
The Micro is a 3-D printer that promises easy use for the average person who might not be used to 3-D printing in their home. You just plug in the printer, download or create a model of whatever you want to make, hit print, and watch your creations take shape. The Micro was fully funded in May — it blew past its goal in 11 minutes— and could start shipping out orders to its backers as soon as August.
Reaper Miniatures Bones, an evolution of gaming miniatures
Goal: $30,000
Raised: $3,429,235
Funded in August 2012, Reaper Miniature Bones is a miniature set of plastic figurines, based in the science fiction and fantasy genre and used to play tabletop games. In 2013, Reaper Miniatures opened up a second crowdfunding campaign to raise money for even more of the mini figurines. Similar to its first project, it blew away its $30,000 goal with $3.2 million from 14,964 backers.
"Mighty No. 9," a classic Japanese side-scrolling game
Goal: $900,000
Raised: $3,845,170
"Mighty No. 9" raised almost $4 million from last year's Kickstarter, and exhausted all of its stretch goals, too. Led by "Mega Man" creator Keiji Inafune, "Mighty No. 9" is a side-scrolling Japanese game. This week, the company announced it would open a second round of funding to enhance the game with English voice acting, a feature that should be released next year, reports Polygon.
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