Katana VentraIP

Kickstarter

Kickstarter, PBC is an American public benefit corporation[2] based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity.[3] The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life".[4] As of February 2023, Kickstarter has received US$7 billion in pledges from 21.7 million backers to fund 233,626 projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, board games, technology, publishing, and food-related projects.[5]

This article is about the crowdfunding site. For the motor kickstarter, see kick start and starter (engine). For other uses, see Kickstart (disambiguation).

Type of business

Delaware-registered public-benefit corporation

Crowdfunding

Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.

Perry Chen
Yancey Strickler
Charles Adler

Everette Taylor

Financial services
Internet

$1.3 million after tax (2019)[1]: 1 

140 (before May 2020 40% staff reduction)[1]: 1 

www.kickstarter.com/about

April 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)

People who back Kickstarter projects are offered tangible rewards or experiences in exchange for their pledges.[6] This model traces its roots to subscription model of arts patronage, in which artists would go directly to their audiences to fund their work.[7]

Banning the use of photorealistic renderings and simulations demonstrating a product

Banning projects for .[52]

genetically modified organisms

Limiting awards to single items or a "sensible set" of items relevant to the project (e.g., multiple light bulbs for a house)

Requiring a physical prototype

Requiring a manufacturing plan

Eye3 camera drone helicopter for unrealistic performance promises, photos copied from other commercial products, and failure of creators to deliver on an earlier Kickstarter project.

[80]

Mythic: The Story of Gods and Men adventure game for copying graphics from other games and unrealistic performance promises; the creator had raised $4,739 on an $80,000 goal before canceling the project.

[81]

Tech-Sync Power System for failing to provide photos of the prototype and sudden departure of project creator.

[82]

Tentacle Bento, a card game intended to satirize Japanese school girl comics, after being criticized in the online media for having inappropriate content.[83]

tentacle rape

Kobe Red, a project for made from Kobe beef, was canceled after raising $120,309. The project was allegedly fraudulent.[84]

jerky

iFind claimed to be a battery-free item locating tag. Critics of the project raised serious doubts about its viability, focusing on its claimed EM harvesting capability and the lack of a working prototype. Kickstarter suspended funding after $546,852 had been raised.

[85]

The was cancelled in 2015 by Kickstarter. It had raised $4 million in pledges, but was cancelled after Kickstarter claimed that Skarp had failed to demonstrate a working prototype.[86]

Skarp Laser Razor

Controversies[edit]

Projects[edit]

Many individual Kickstarter projects caused controversy:

Assurance contract

Civic crowdfunding

Comparison of crowd funding services

GoFundMe

Indiegogo

List of video game crowdfunding projects

Open-source hardware

Play Business

Tech companies in the New York City metropolitan region

Media related to Kickstarter at Wikimedia Commons

Official website