Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Kickstarter: Funding 'Creative Independence' | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

What do a smartphone robot, a documentary about female body builders, and a Buffalo-based brewery have in common? They've all received funding from Kickstarter, which bills itself as the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. Whether you're making an album, building a smartphone app, or trying to open a restaurant, Kickstarter lets you name your price, and gives you a set time to solicit funds from family, friends, and the Web. If you hit your goal, you keep the cash. If you don't, you get nothing.

In just over two years, however, Kickstarter users have funded more than $125 million worth of projects, putting it on par with the funding received by the National Endowment for the Arts. But it's not just about the numbers, says co-founder Yancey Strickler. "The whole idea behind Kickstarter is that there is value in the world beyond things that can make money," he said. It's about creative independence, and the notion that "something can exist because people want it to."



Kickstarter: Funding 'Creative Independence' | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

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