Kickstarter

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform built to help people bring creative projects to life. Creators—which can be anyone from artists and filmmakers to inventors and game designers—set up a campaign page for their idea. They define a funding goal and a timeframe, and offer rewards to people who back them. The core mechanic is all-or-nothing funding: if a project doesn't reach its financial goal by the deadline, no money changes hands. This model reduces risk for creators, as they only proceed if they have the full budget, and gives backers confidence that their pledge will only be used for a fully-funded project.

The platform provides the structure and tools for this process. Creators build a project page with videos, images, and a detailed description. They set reward tiers, communicate with backers through updates, and manage the fulfillment process. For backers, Kickstarter is a discovery engine. You can browse live projects in categories like Tabletop Games, Technology, Film, Art, and Publishing. The homepage highlights featured and recommended projects, and programs like 'Open Calls' curate projects around specific themes, such as micro-games or romance publishing.

Kickstarter is most useful for creators who have a tangible, creative project but lack the upfront capital for production. This includes indie filmmakers funding a pilot, game developers producing a physical board game, or designers launching a new piece of hardware. It's also for a global community of backers who want to be part of bringing new ideas into the world, often receiving the finished product or a unique experience as a thank-you. The platform connects these two groups, turning community support into a powerful engine for creativity and innovation.