NEWS: Our Kickstarter campaign is online! Just click, join in and spread the word! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/winzki/hoerbert-bluetooth-module
You may have seen on our website or Facebook page that we are starting a Kickstarter project. If you want to know briefly and understandably what Kickstarter is, you’ve come to the right place. On the Kickstarter website you can find the whole →help and information about Kickstarter. In case of doubt or ambiguities, what is written on the Kickstarter website always applies.
Kickstarter is first of all the website →Kickstarter.com. The name comes from motorcycles that you start with a kick (→Video on YouTube). The functional principle is a powerful kick that gets an engine going. And at Kickstarter.com you help to get projects going with a financial kick: You choose a project and pay a sum of money into it.
By pledging a certain amount of money in the project or product, you become a backer. In this way you help to put things into the world that would not exist without you. These could be products, books, movies, computer games, art projects, etc. The description on the Kickstarter page should explain the project to you and show you a real prototype, not just great 3D pictures of nothing. The projects are not realized by Kickstarter.com, but by companies or individuals who have posted the project on the Kickstarter website. Kickstarter is only the intermediary for the funds.
For your support you will of course get a reward. In return for your money you get a nice thank you for small amounts or a mention by name as a supporter on the product website, or you get the product earlier and/or cheaper than the rest of the world for higher pledges. These rewards are different for each project, because no two projects are alike. With product implementation projects, you usually receive the product as the reward. So this is like a pre-order. You will be at the top of the queue.
A hint for very fast: Keep an eye out for “early bird” rewards, which you’ll often find in kickstart campaigns. The early bird catches the worm, so these special rewards are only available for a short time or in limited quantities!
Read on, because that’s not all…
Wait a minute – How was that with my money?
You’re actually investing in something that doesn’t exist yet. A Kickstarter campaign has a certain minimum amount of money, above which the campaign is considered successfully financed. If less than the minimum amount comes together, you get your money back from Kickstarter, and the campaign is considered failed. This almost always means that the project will not be realized due to lack of money. If the minimum amount is reached or even exceeded, then the campaign is considered financed, and Kickstarter pays the collected money to the project – minus a few percent for commission and payment processing.
Therefore, check who binds himself forever… You are an adult and invest with risks and opportunities. Some projects fail completely after they have reached the minimum amount. There have been spectacular cases where millions have been collected but no product has come out of the project. In other cases, the operator of the project refunded part or all of the support. That always depends on the course of the project. So weigh up who you trust and how plausible the project sounds to you. By the way, you never have to “refill” any investment – and no insolvency administrator will approach you if the project fails.
A tip for life: Please don’t invest in projects that violate the laws of physics, because you’ll find such stupid projects on Kickstarter, too. Don’t fall for: “Free Energy”. Don’t!
But that’s enough warning: If there were only failing projects, Kickstarter wouldn’t be 10 years old this year.
If you absolutely want “your project” to be successfully financed and you receive your reward, advertise to everyone you know so that they support the project too! An overfinanced project has the best chance of success.
Keep your eyes open during the course of the project
So you invested and the Kickstarter project is successfully financed? Now the exciting part begins: While the project is being implemented, you as a supporter will find all news on the project page on Kickstarter. You’ll also get the latest information and answers to your questions when your project is well managed. After all, you are involved as a sponsor and therefore you are an important person for the project. A project on Kickstarter can run for several months, you can see the timeframe from the advertised rewards. It will be indicated when you can expect your reward – provided that the project runs as planned. A simple “thank you” usually comes earlier, and the finished product at the end of the project.
Don’t just fix your enjoyment of the project by the finishing date, because when reality strikes, even the best schedule can be delayed. In this case, you should be kept informed about the progress of the project without having to ask any questions.
Your reward
At some point the project is successfully implemented, the parcel carrier rings at the door and you receive your reward. In the best case, this will be the reward you have financed on time. You can be happy and proud to tell everyone that you were a part of the project and how exciting it was to be involved in the development!