Art Of The Kickstart

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Anthony Bernas, co-founder and CEO of Cooler Keg. Bernas describes how he built a homemade prototype and received validation from lake goers that gave him the confidence to crowdfund.

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Anthony Bernas, co-founder and CEO of Cooler Keg. Bernas describes how he built a homemade prototype and received validation from lake goers that gave him the confidence to crowdfund.

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Anthony Bernas, co-founder and CEO of Cooler Keg. Bernas describes how he built a homemade prototype and received validation from lake goers that gave him the confidence to crowdfund.

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Anthony Bernas, co-founder and CEO of Cooler Keg. Bernas describes how he built a homemade prototype and received validation from lake goers that gave him the confidence to crowdfund.

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Anthony Bernas, co-founder and CEO of Cooler Keg. Bernas describes how he built a homemade prototype and received validation from lake goers that gave him the confidence to crowdfund.

In this week’s episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Daniel Whiting, Head of Revenue Generation at Kickbooster. Kickbooster offers crowdfunding creators an easy-to-use affiliate marketing platform and a pledge management solution.

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Darya Forutanpour, Founder and CEO of Blanktech and her father Babak Forutanpour. Together they created Blanktech, a weighted blanket designed for full functionality while reading or lounging. They looked at the market, filled with known brands and created a product that combined the features they wish had existed in one product. Listen to learn their process from idea through prototyping to launch. This father-daughter has deep admiration and care for one another, and that translates into a thoughtful product Short on time? Here's what we talked about. After an idea, it’s time to do market research to make sure it doesn’t exist. Especially when the idea is a fairly simple one, make sure that you’re creating something new, or a new iteration on a concept. Darya and Babak prototyped most of the product close to home, here’s how they went about it. Babak’s launched products before, but says finding the right partner was a key to success.

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Chris Noyes, Co-Founder and CEO of Pet Object. Pet Object is a thoughtfully designed, high-quality litter box made for cat parents everywhere. Developing the idea took Chris years, but with the help of an agency to engineer the product and his own research on the backend, he made it happen. His campaign launched and fully funded on Kickstarter.  Listen to learn how Chris and his team created a product that stood out in a market with thousands of options. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. New products take persistence. It took ten years of planning, designing and prototyping to make his dream a reality. Chris had the visual idea behind his product but needed to outsource to make it real.  Some entrepreneurs are scared off at the thought of outsourcing, but Chris advocates for it. Pet Object’s name has a simple background but proves that titles don’t need to be entirely unique or independent to make an impact. Chris’ SEO resear

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Isaiah Vang and Justin Kujath, the co-founders of Espresso Pig. Isaiah and Justin knew they had to do something about the waste created by coffee pods, but they didn't know how. After tirelessly researching the market and learning about different materials, the team started prototyping Espresso Pig’s Pig Pods, but it wasn’t an easy road. They faced design challenges and worked hard to find a workaround. Listen to learn how the Espresso Pig team successfully created a plastic-free coffee pod and launched their Kickstarter campaign. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Breaking into a saturated industry is difficult, so Justin and Isaish focused on a niche community within the coffee industry.  Justin and Isaiah conducted market research and were shocked to learn that their idea hadn’t been attempted before. Market research matters. Prototyping the product wasn’t easy. Because they were attempting something new, the team had to le

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Brock Massner, CEO and co-founder of NV Athletics and the inventor of the NV Rack. NV Rack is a patented Non-Varying Resistance™ system that’s made up of two universal squat rack attachments that allow you to add resistance or assistance to any lift or movement. Brock’s background in fitness sparked the idea for the NV Rack, but it’s his involvement with younger athletes and beginners that encouraged him to pursue the product development process for NV Rack. Listen to learn how Brock and his family-based team used feedback from their athletic communities to push NV Rack one step further. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Brock tested his prototype on members in his gym and the athletes he was training. The feedback he received prompted him to work with a product development team to develop the prototype further.  Trust is a huge part of launching a product successfully. Who are you partnered with? Do you trust them? Through e

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Attila Madarasz, advisory board member of BAM Concepts and creator of BLADEMAX. BLADEMAX is a revolutionary product from a team looking to save consumers money on shaving razors and to save the earth one razor at a time. As a first-time crowdfunder, Attila was convinced to launch BLADEMAX on Kickstarter after learning about how crowdfunding and Kickstarter work. He was excited to see if the people would also support BLADEMAX. Listen to learn how Attila and his team designed BLADEMAX and launched on Kickstarter. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Attila learned the science behind BLADEMAX, which was used to strengthen the testing of the product.  Attila explains how crowdfunding was an easy choice for him and his team to make when deciding how to fund BLADEMAX. Most consumers are focused on immediate results rather than the long-haul, and the BLADEMAX team recognized this when designing their product. Beta testing allowed Att

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, our host, Roy Morejon fires off in a speed round answering questions we’ve received from fans and members of the community. Roy touches on his personal background, crowdfunding do’s and don’ts, crowdfunding platform questions and all things Art of the Kickstart. Listen to learn more about crowdfunding and entrepreneurship. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Roy Morejon was excited to continue growing the podcast and speaking to new creators after acquiring Art of the Kickstart. His start in crowdfunding began with a startup client at his first company, Command Partners. Crowdfunding is perfect for some ideas, but evaluating your idea is important to see if it's a good fit. If it is, thoroughly research and plan for your campaign. Art of the Kickstart is one of the many resources available to help you gain knowledge about the crowdfunding industry and learn from other entrepreneurs. Links AOTK Contact Form Note: As an Amazon Ass

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Mark Coombs, Co-Founder of Sleepout and creator of Sleepout Home. Sleepout Curtain and Sleepout Home are blackout curtains that block all the light from windows. When they initially approached curtain companies with the idea, they were told it was impossible, and no one would support it. After their first successful Kickstarter campaign, Mark and Hannah, the other co-founder, took customer feedback and their own experience of purchasing a home and launched a second campaign. It funded in under 10 minutes. Listen to learn how Mark and the rest of the Sleepout team used their community and campaign supporters to design and launch their newest product. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Mark and his team took the core idea from their first campaign and transformed it into a new product with its own Kickstarter campaign.  Sleepout focused on converting community feedback into a product with the help of manufacturers and engineers. T

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Chris Cronin, Co-Founder of Kitanica and creator of Scorpion Pack. From making it to the big screen and being worn by celebrities including the Rock, Kitanica’s products have amassed a large following before launching on Kickstarter. Their first crowdfunding campaign was Scorpion Pack. Scorpion Pack is the ultimate lumbar waist pack for your gear and has raised over $100,000 with the help of almost 1,000 backers​, 38% of which are first-time backers​. Listen to learn how Kitanica overcame the hurdles of a first-time campaign on Kickstarter. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Is overthinking a bad thing? Kitanica takes its products further by overthinking every aspect of product design. Some were quick to bash Kitanica for using a Kickstarter campaign as an established company. But the Kitanica team wanted to strike the market, and reach new customers while their idea was trending. Kitanica’s products have been worn by actors i

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Jack Yao, Co-Founder of Mobile Pixels and creator of Geminos. A repeat interviewee on Art of the Kickstart, Jack is also a repeat million-dollar campaign creator on Kickstarter. Jack and the rest of the Mobile Pixels team are now on their fifth campaign: Geminos. Geminos is a dual-screen desktop monitor that fully funded in 36 minutes and has raised almost $2 million with the help of over 2,000 backers. Listen to learn the lessons Jack learned on his creator journey and his tips for success. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Personal experiences drive the ideas behind Mobile Pixels products, and Geminos is no different. It came from working in a small office and wanting to maximize space and productivity. 90% of Geminos campaign backers are repeat backers from previous projects. How did Mobile Pixels create such a loyal following? The pandemic threw a curve ball for many businesses’ manufacturing and supply chain plans, but J

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Eric Kurbanov, founder of RKIN and creator of U1. When Kurbanov realized how much bottled water he’d been consuming, he set out looking for a better way. His research showed him how inherently unsustainable and unhealthy bottled water was. Eventually, he created  U1, a 4-in-1 reverse osmosis water purification system. With a preexisting customer base and ten years of customer feedback, Kurbanov launched his Kickstarter campaign. Listen to learn how U1 turned into a top crowdfunding campaign in an industry that is slowly becoming more popular. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. With U1, RKIN created a first in the industry system of water purifiers and filters. U1 eliminates the need for external water lines and hookups and delivers purified water through reverse osmosis. Many people buy bottled water without ever considering its many problems, including unsustainable packaging, BPA in materials and contaminated water. The more K

In this episode of Art of the Kickstarter, we spoke with Chad Hickman and Garret Prather, creators of Yardball. This Kickstarter campaign has earned the support of almost 2,000 backers, which pushes Yardball’s motto, the ball for all. Yardball started as a tape ball that was tossed in the office, and the team worked through multiple prototypes and name changes to get ready for launch. Listen to learn how Chad and Garret took a ball of tape and transformed it into Yardball. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Marketing looks different for every product, and Yardball’s marketing involved kids playing with it in the yard and people tossing it around at tailgates.    Sandlot Goods originally made leather goods as a hobby, which led to the creation of Kansas City merchandise. Once they began creating pandemic-related products, like testing gowns and masks, they made connections that helped them launch the rest of their ​leather goods line. Naming a product is challenging. It needs to be cat

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Hunter Sparrow, Magpie’s Marketing and Sales Analyst. Magpie’s most recent campaign, Kiko, garnered the support of over 400 backers and raised above $50,000. The team focused on the feedback from their audience and lessons they’ve learned from previous campaigns to help improve and develop their campaign. Listen to learn more about the team’s approach to launching Kiko on Kickstarter.  Short on time? Here's what we talked about. When COVID changed the costs associated with building their product, Magpie canceled Kiko's campaign, even though it was fully funded. Learn how that positively affected their relationship with backers. The team heavily relied on backer feedback to improve Kiko’s design. Since then, they've narrowed their focus by improving safety and cross-cultural differences with marketing in order to expand into a new market. Establishing trust early in a campaign is vital for campaign creators on Kickstarter and other crowdfun

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Gilad Warter, Co-Founder of Auto Mount. What started as a career in managing Amazon and e-commerce revenue has grown into new ideas and launching a Kickstarter campaign. His latest venture, Knotix, is a universal adventure roof rack with sales flying well past its funding goal on Kickstarter. Listen now to learn how Gilad foresees the future of Knotix and his other ventures. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. Gilad and his business partner both loved to travel but hated switching to cars with installed roof racks to carry what they needed. This sparked the idea for Knotix, a universal adventure roof rack.   Knotix is unique because it universally fits almost any 4-door vehicle and features a unique clicker system for attachments. The Knotix team decided to crowdfund the Knotix because it requires a substantial amount of capital to bring the product to life.  Gilad discusses the future plans for Knotix, and how his other ventures

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Ron Hauser, Co-founder of LulleVibes and creator of the LulleVibes Travel Towel. As a first-time creator, Ron had a lot to learn about the crowdfunding industry but did his due diligence while designing the LulleVibes Travel Towel before launching on Kickstarter. Ron’s company is built on sustainability, and 246 backers helped bring his project to life. Listen to learn how Ron and his team overcame their unfamiliarity with Kickstarter and launched their campaign in Europe. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. A simple day at the beach sparked an idea that developed into LulleVibes. Ron jumped into entrepreneurship after acquiring the skills and mindset needed for it from his years of experience in accounting and consulting.  The design for the towel was inspired by plenty of research and wanting to be different from generic beach towels. The LulleVibes Travel Towel’s sustainability is rooted in how much waste Ron noticed as he trave