Art Of The Kickstart

Through his own personal experiences, Rohan Dixit was inspired to create Lief, a smart patch that fights stress. This week on Art of the Kickstart, we learned more about how Rohan and his team created and crowdfunded Lief. Lief | Smart patch that fights stress Key Crowdfunding Takeaways What types of research to consider when building a new product for a crowdfunding project How long it takes to create a new product What to consider when developing a new product What to expect as part of the HAX Accelerator Program How to Kickstart a health product Links Lief on Kickstarter The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg https://hax.co/ Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is the ultimate buyer's guide for cool luxury gadgets and creative gifts. Click here to learn more and list your product - use coupon code ATOKK16

For this week’s episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Savannah Turk of Purple. Learn more about how they’re revolutionizing the sleep industry after raising more than $2 million on Kickstarter! Purple: The Latest Technology in Comfort and Sleep Purple® Pillow: The World's First No-Pressure Pillow Key Crowdfunding Takeaways Why a good Kickstarter video is key to a successful campaign Why the size of your email list is important How Facebook ads can give your campaign a boost How to connect with people and engage with your audience on Kickstarter and beyond How to improve and already-great Kickstarter campaign Links Purple Pillow on Kickstarter Purple Mattress on Kickstarter OnPurple.com Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Connect with Purple Purple on Facebook @LifeOnPurple on Twitter Purple on YouTube Purple on Pinterest Purple, Inc on LinkedIn

This week on Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Ariel Hyatt, author of the book Crowdstart: The Ultimate Guide to a Powerful and Profitable Crowdfunding Campaign. Tune in to learn more about how to launch a product through crowdfunding, how to build up your crowd, how to get PR coverage and much more. Key Takeaways How powerful crowdfunding can be for artists and musicians How crowdfunding can help you understand your community What kinds of hurdles to expect during a crowdfunding campaign How much energy and effort you’ll need to put into your campaign Where to begin if you want to crowdfund your idea How to make your crowdfunding campaign newsworthy Links Crowdstart: The Ultimate Guide to a Powerful and Profitable Crowdfunding Campaign by Ariel Hyatt ArielHyatt.com So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport Connect with Ariel Hyatt Ariel Hyatt on Facebook @cyberpr on Twitter Ariel Hyatt on LinkedIn @cyberpr on Instagram Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponso

For this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Nils Lehnert, creator of Kiën Licht 1, an intelligent light. Tune in to learn more about how to create a new product using an existing brand community, and how to build up a new audience for a Kickstarter project. Kiën Light: Intelligent daylight at your fingertips Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How to use Kickstarter to launch new products from existing brands How to engage your community How to become a Kickstarter Project We Love How to build a community around your product through in-person events How to use feedback from your Kickstarter backers Links Kien on Kickstarter kien.com High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras Connect with Kien @Kien_official on Twitter Kien on Facebook @kien_official on Instagram Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The G

In this special episode of Art of the Kickstart, we interview Louis Foreman, prolific inventor, product developer and innovation enthusiast. Tune in to learn more about what to do if you have an idea for a new product. Key Takeaways Where to start if you have an idea for a new product How much money an entrepreneur needs to launch a new product Whether you need a patent before launching a crowdfunding campaign Why it’s a good idea to file a provisional patent application How to use crowdfunding to validate demand Links http://enventys.com/ http://enventyspartners.com/ Thomas Edison National Historic Park Connect with Louis Foreman and Enventys Louis J. Foreman on Facebook Enventys on Facebook @louisforeman on Twitter @enventys on Twitter Louis Foreman on LinkedIn Enventys on LinkedIn Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is the ultimate

Rahul Agarwal of Polygons didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur, just to reinvent what is perhaps the world’s oldest invention: the spoon. However, he’s already made more than half a million dollars with it on Kickstarter. Tune in to this episode to learn some of the keys to his success. Polygons | The Flat 4-in-1 Measuring Spoon Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How long it takes to prepare for a successful crowdfunding campaign How to effectively introduce stretch goals What to do when shipping costs are too high How to engage your community to make your campaign better How to plan for a crowdfunding campaign Links Polygons on Kickstarter http://www.getpolygons.com/ Zero to One by Peter Thiel Connect with Polygons Polygons Design on Facebook @GetPolygons on Twitter Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is the ultimate buyer's guide for cool luxury g

If your uncle invented the waterbed, you’ve probably already got an advantage over other entrepreneurs. For this episode of the podcast, we spoke with Todd Youngblood, creator of Kryo, an entirely new sleep technology, about launching a new product on Indiegogo. Kryo Sleep Performance System Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How to balance the inventor’s dilemma when creating a new product How to know when it’s time to launch your Indiegogo project Why it’s important to understand your target audience before launching a product geared toward them How to engage the community built around your product How do deliver your crowdfunded product to backers on time Why it’s important to have a clear supply chain in place before launching a product Links Kryo on Indiegogo https://www.chilitechnology.com/ The ONE Thing by Gary Keller Connect with Kryo Kryo Sleep Performance System on Facebook @sleepkryo on Twitter Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a prod

For this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Eric Li, the creator behind Ecomo, the world’s first bottle that tests and filters water. Listen in for more about creating a smart water bottle, how to perfect a product’s features and how to successfully collect leads prior to launching a crowdfunding campaign. Ecomo: The World’s First Bottle That Tests & Filters Water Key Crowdfunding Takeaways What the iteration process looks like when perfecting a new product How to handle feedback from users when designing a new product How to set your campaign apart from other similar campaigns How to attract supporters before your campaign launches Why it’s important to start building a fanbase early Links Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel Ecomo on Kickstarter http://www.ecomo.io/ Connect with Ecomo Ecomo on Facebook @ecomolabs on Twitter Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform tha

Bob James and the team at Trinity Air worked hard to bring their customers the perfect set of wireless earbuds. Tune in to this episode of Art of the Kickstart to learn more about what to do after a failed Kickstarter campaign, what kinds of difficulties to expect when developing a new tech product and why communication with backers is so important. World's First Tuneable Wireless Earbuds Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How to learn from a failed Kickstarter campaign What kinds of hardware difficulties to expect when creating an audio product How to build up your audience before a Kickstarter campaign Why open communication with Kickstarter backers is important Why marketing is an important part of any crowdfunding project Links Phantom Air on Kickstarter https://trinityaudioengineering.com/ http://www.head-fi.org/ Connect with Trinity @TRINITYAUDIO on Twitter Trinity Audio on Facebook Trinity Audio on Pinterest Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Fl

We spoke with Ruth Hedges, the woman behind the Global Crowdfunding Conference, to get her take on all things crowdfunding. Tune in to learn more about the history of crowdfunding, how crowdfunding has changed the world, why you should attend the conference and much more! Key Takeaways The history of equity crowdfunding and how the recent recession played a role in making it legal Who to expect to hear speak at the Global Crowdfunding Convention What types of Kickstarter secrets you’ll pick up at the Global Crowdfunding Convention How crowdfunding has changed over the years BONUS: Use coupon code RH25 to save 25% off tickets to the 5th annual Global Crowdfunding Convention Links thegccworld.com crowdfundingcrm.com Connect with Ruth Hedges Global Crowdfunding Conference on Facebook @thegccworld on Twitter Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is th

We spoke with Jeff Chang of Wonderous about the Forever O.G. Pants. Tune in to learn more about where to begin when you have an idea for a new product, how to prepare for a crowdfunding campaign and how to know when you’re ready to launch on Kickstarter. THE FOREVER O.G. PANTS Lifetime Quality Without The Markup Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How create new products by identifying gaps in the market How to begin product research How to start creating samples of new products How to use social media to gather supporters before launching on Kickstarter How to increase your Facebook followers before a Kickstarter project How to know when you’re ready to launch on Kickstarter Links The Forever O.G. Pants on Kickstarter https://wonderous.com/ Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell Connect with Wonderous Wonderous on Facebook @gowonderous on Instagram @goWonderous on Twitter Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platfo

For this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Dave Zuverink of SlimFold™ to learn more about the Slim Pack. Tune in to learn more about designing a new product, relying on your network of previous backers to create a new product and how to launch multiple successful Kickstarter projects. Slim Pack Weatherproof Minimal Commuter Backpack by SlimFold Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How backer feedback often guides product decisions Why it’s important to listen to your audience during and after your Kickstarter campaign Where to start with designing a new product for Kickstarter What to expect when blogs and tech outlets cover your Kickstarter project How to calculate the size mailing list you need before launching on Kickstarter Links Slim Pack on Kickstarter http://www.slimfoldwallet.com/ Against the Odds: An Autobiography by James Dyson Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown Connect with SlimFold™ SlimFold Wallet on Facebook @SlimFold on Twitter @slimf

Recently we spoke with Derek O’Sullivan, creator of the Crua Hybrid, to hear about what he’s learned from running two Kickstarter campaigns. Tune in to learn more about why Kickstarter is the perfect platform for launching new products, how to use feedback to build the perfect product and how to find backers for your Kickstarter project. Four Outdoor Essentials in One Tent / Hammock - Crua Hybrid Key Crowdfunding Takeaways Why Kickstarter is ideal for launching a product What types of market feedback to get before launching on Kickstarter How you can learn from other Kickstarter projects before launching your own How to work with backers of a previous Kickstarter campaign to create a new product The true power of social media for a Kickstarter campaign Why you need to understand the Kickstarter demographic Links Crua Hybrid on Kickstarter https://cruaoutdoors.com/ Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance Connect with Crua @thermotents on Twitter

We interviewed Oscar Chang of ALCHEMA, a kitchen device that makes it easy to brew craft cider at home. Tune into this episode to learn more about why you need to pick a manufacturer early, how to line up journalists to cover your Kickstarter project and how crowdfunding can help you get in with big box retailers. ALCHEMA: Turn Fruit into Personalized Craft Cider Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How long product development actually takes How working with an accelerator can help you take your product to market How to build a buzz around your project through events and exhibitions How to get journalists interested in your product when you can’t meet with them in person How to decide between launching on Kickstarter and Indiegogo Why you need to pick a manufacturer and shipping partner early in the product development process Links ALCHEMA on Kickstarter http://www.alchema.com/ HAX Boost How to Start a Startup: The Silicon Valley Playbook for Entrepreneurs by ThinkApps and BeckyCruze Conne

We recently spoke with Labinot Bytyqi of Solaborate about their new video conferencing device, HELLO, currently on Kickstarter. Tune in to learn more about the inspiration behind the product, why they chose Kickstarter and how they’ve already raised more than $225,000. HELLO: The Most Advanced Video Communication Device Key Crowdfunding Takeaways What the prototyping process looks like Why Kickstarter may be preferable rather than just taking a product to market Why you may want to set a lower funding goal for your Kickstarter project How to use community feedback to set stretch goals Why you need a team to support and manage your Kickstarter campaign Links HELLO on Kickstarter https://www.solaborate.com/ The World is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman Connect with HELLO HELLO Solaborate on Facebook @HelloSolaborate on Twitter Hello Solaborate on LinkedIn @hellosolaborate on Instagram HelloSolaborate on Pinterest Sponsors Art of the Ki

Warrick and Miguel of REM-Fit spoke with us and provided great insight into how they developed the ZEEQ Smart Pillow. Tune in for helpful tips about prototyping and manufacturing a physical product and developing an app overseas. ZEEQ Smart Pillow: Stream Music, Stop Snoring, Sleep Smarter Key Crowdfunding Takeaways What types of struggles to expect during the prototyping process Why you may need to visit China during product development What challenges to expect if you visit China to meet with manufacturers What challenges to expect if you’re working with Chinese manufacturers while staying in the U.S. Why your product should be perfect before launching on Kickstarter How to accurately create a timeline, from coming up with an idea to launching on Kickstarter What types of feedback to expect from Kickstarter backers How to respond to backer feedback while still keeping your end goal in mind Links ZEEQ Smart Pillow on Kickstarter https://rem-fit.com/ Delivering Happiness: A Path to

This week on Art of the Kickstart we spoke with Andrew Jiang, the creator of The Superbook, a smart laptop shell that lets you turn your Android smartphone into a full laptop. Tune in to hear more about learning from a failed crowdfunding campaign and going on to earn more than a million dollars on Kickstarter. The Superbook: Turn your smartphone into a laptop for $99 Key Crowdfunding Takeaways Why preparing for a Kickstarter campaign before you launch is so important How to learn from failed Kickstarter campaign How to usefeedback from backers of a previously-failed campaign to make an even better product How to communicate with your email list before launching on Kickstarter How to fund on your first day on Kickstarter Links The Superbook on Kickstarter getsuperbook.com The Power of Habit Connect with The Superbook Superbook on Facebook @getsuperbook on Twitter Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you

This week’s episode of Art of the Kickstart is packed full of helpful tips for the preparation of a Kickstarter project, how to fund on day one, how to pick a shipping and fulfillment company and much more. Tune in for this interview with Shaun Alexander and get a behind-the-scenes look into ELWN, a campaign for truly wireless earbuds. Perfect Fitting Wireless Earbuds With Endless Battery Life Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How innovative products launched on Kickstarter can inspire further innovation How to make the jump from working for a company to owning your own company Why you need early bird rewards for your campaign The benefits of working with a PR firm during a crowdfunding campaign Why you need Facebook advertising before your Kickstarter project launches Why you need to be willing to adjust and course-correct during a campaign How to pick a shipping and fulfillment company What to focus on early on in a crowdfunding campaign Links ELWN on Kickstarter elwn.com How to Win Frie

Wow - this is the 150th episode of Art of the Kickstart! To celebrate, we’re bringing you a bonus episode this week, featuring a very exciting campaign. Michael Bettua joined us to discuss his Kickstarter campaign for Gemio, the customizable smart band that lights up your night. Listen in to learn more about the work that led up to this campaign and how Gemio has raised nearly $100,000 so far. The Customizable Smart Band that Lights Up Your Night Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How to validate your concept with your target audience before launching on Kickstarter How to determine what features to offer in a new product while you are prototyping How long it takes to prepare for a Kickstarter campaign How to find partners when launching a new product on Kickstarter Why early bird specials are so important Why you need to spend time building a user base well in advance of your project launch Links Gemio on Kickstarter http://www.gogemio.com/ Further Future The Tipping Point Connect with Gem

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart we spoke with Amro Albanna of Kite Products, about his experience running an Indiegogo project. When his team experienced multiple delays over a three-year period, they came back to Indiegogo to make things right with their backers by offering a new product while they continued to develop the original one. Kite Shield: DEET-free Mosquito Repellent Spray Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How Indiegogo can help you launch and develop a new technology How to handle Indiegogo fulfillment delays Why it’s important to be transparent with your backers What risks and challenges to expect when you launch on Indiegogo Why constant communication with backers is important Links Kite Shield on Indiegogo http://www.kiteproducts.com/ Collective Disruption: How Corporations & Startups Can Co-Create Transformative New Businesse by Michael Docherty http://www.iecrowd.com/ Connect with Kite Kite Products on Facebook @KITEProducts on Twitter Kite Products on LinkedIn