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Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

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Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#21

Post by mertd »

zrgiu_ wrote: post #18

For me it was surprising at first that Kickstarter even worked. It pulled out a better part of people that I really didn't hope that it exists on such a level. People are basically paying for stuff without the 100% guarantee that they'll get it, without previous reviews and opinions about those products, and while knowingly being the first batch of users which will collide head-first with all first bugs and issues. A…

I have the feeling that a significant number of the payers are not aware of the fact that there is a decent chance of the hypothetical product never seeing the daylight. If not, it will almost certainly be delayed.

When one or two of highly publicized projects fold, I expect a good amount of Kickstarter complaints.

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#22

Post by sage_joch »

unimpressive wrote: post #20
pkh80 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely! Why can't I buy $100 worth of stock in a startup along with 1000's of other people? Some SEC rules or something? EDIT: Then imagine how motivated those 1000's of others would be to promote a startup they owned a stake in.

Not sure if that's tongue in cheek or not... But that was part of the recent JOBS act. You'll be able to do that soon for good or ill.

Given that law, I wonder if there's going to be a land grab to become the kickstarter of startups. Should be fun to watch.

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#23

Post by carguy1983 »

sage_joch wrote: post #22
unimpressive wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if that's tongue in cheek or not... But that was part of the recent JOBS act. You'll be able to do that soon for good or ill.

Given that law, I wonder if there's going to be a land grab to become the kickstarter of startups. Should be fun to watch.

If this becomes legal, wouldn't kickstarter instantly be the kickstarter of startups?

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#24

Post by AJ007 »

eridius wrote: post #4

Seems like Kickstarter is also disrupting the game development process, allowing game studios to produce games without being beholden to publishers. Examples: * Double Fine Adventure - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adv... * The Banner Saga - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stoic/the-banner-saga * Wasteland 2 - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2 * Shadowrun Returns -…

Don't forget Leisure Suit Larry! (hope this one meets its fundraising goal)

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leisuresuitlarry/make-le...

And not just electronic games, but pen and paper RPGs too:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/autarch/adventurer-conqu...

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#25

Post by olalonde »

pkh80 wrote: post #19
nostromo wrote: post #12

I wonder if KickStarter and similar projects could disrupt YC and TechStars. For example, I could see DropBox raising a sizable seed round on KickStarter if it was an option when they launched. (Free 250gb plan for a year with a donation of $50.)

Definitely! Why can't I buy $100 worth of stock in a startup along with 1000's of other people? Some SEC rules or something? EDIT: Then imagine how motivated those 1000's of others would be to promote a startup they owned a stake in.

I find it somewhat ironic that the same people who denounce the recent Instagram investment as an insider deal for a few priviledged people in the know tend to be the same people who oppose the democratization of angel investing.

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#26

Post by dlf »

sage_joch wrote: post #22
unimpressive wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if that's tongue in cheek or not... But that was part of the recent JOBS act. You'll be able to do that soon for good or ill.

Given that law, I wonder if there's going to be a land grab to become the kickstarter of startups. Should be fun to watch.

Yeah, there's already startups waiting in the wings, which is interesting given that it'll be a solid year or more before regulations are formed around this. All we have now is an enabling act. As can be imagined, it takes time for regulatory agencies to iron out all of the details to put a body of regulations in place.

I'm most interested in how they deal with the rights of these investors. Will they be able to demand to inspect books of startups they invested in? Will they have voting rights?

It could get dicey, especially with unsophisticated investors.

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#27

Post by dlf »

carguy1983 wrote: post #23
sage_joch wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that law, I wonder if there's going to be a land grab to become the kickstarter of startups. Should be fun to watch.

If this becomes legal, wouldn't kickstarter instantly be the kickstarter of startups?

They've said they're not interested in doing it, which is kind of surprising.

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#28

Post by chaostheory »

" Consumer electronics are among the most well-funded projects on Kickstarter despite the fact that it’s dubious whether they should even be included in the scope of fundable projects. "

Why would it be dubious to have them be included as a fundable project? Am I missing something?

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#29

Post by gridspy »

eridius wrote: post #4

Seems like Kickstarter is also disrupting the game development process, allowing game studios to produce games without being beholden to publishers. Examples: * Double Fine Adventure - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adv... * The Banner Saga - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stoic/the-banner-saga * Wasteland 2 - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2 * Shadowrun Returns -…

Also, a friend's game "Path of Exile" is using a pre-purchase model to fund the late stages of development

https://www.pathofexile.com/purchase/

You can buy micro-currency in advance and in exchange receive perks similar to KickStarter. By running it themselves, Grinding Gears gets access to the funds and can dish out the benefits immediately.

Re: Kickstarter Is Totally Disrupting Consumer Electronics, Probably By Mistake

#30

Post by steve8918 »

Is there a place that lists the projects that ended up being a failure? I'm curious what the failure rate of Kickstarter is, and if fraud artists are attempting to rip people off via it. Also, if the failure rate starts increasing, would that jeopardize the entire business model, if people lose confidence that the projects will see the light of day?
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