This article was written by Brian Wong. You can find him on twitter here.
iGuardian’s Six-Figure Kickstarter Case Study: Jumpstarting Fundraising Through a Convention
Case Overview
It’s no question that in the world of crowdfunding, one of the biggest challenges is getting the support and backing of the campaign’s target consumers. Itus Networks, creators of the iGuardian, decided to tackle this problem at the very beginning of their campaign by launching its Kickstarter at Defcon, one of the world’s largest information security conferences. By end of the four-day conference, Itus Networks had planted the seeds for future campaigning success and had raised nearly $30,000 with 225 backers at the same time.
Step 1: Determining a Target Audience
The first step when considering a convention appearance is to define the product and determine the target audience.
Jock Breitwieser and Daniel Ayoub, cofounders of Itus Networks, present the iGuardian as a device that provides enterprise-level security to the consumers’ home network. It is based on Linux open-source code and can be installed with limited technical knowledge in a matter of minutes. Once installed, the iGuardian is designed to use up-to-date security feeds to protect all devices attached to a consumer’s home network from cyber-attacks, malware, and other undesirable content.
Based on this product definition, Breitwieser explains that the iGuardian is “a solution that is appealing to two very different audiences: the hackers that like to tinker around [with open source code and] modify and expand on existing solutions, and then the consumer, who just wants to take it, plug it in, and be done.”
Step 2: Selecting a Convention
The next step is to select a convention with the target audience in mind. In the case of iGuardian’s two different target audiences, it was necessary to choose an audience that would benefit the campaign right away. As a result, Itus Networks chose to target its expert audience at Defcon for two key reasons:
1. Testing the Waters
Because of the nature of the iGuardian, Breitwieser and Ayoub were unable to make any announcements about their product before the Kickstarter campaign began. Breitwieser expressed concerns about possible product reverse-engineering, saying, “we were a little bit afraid that somebody might just come put a little bit more money into it and put a little more resources into it than we would have and essentially just rebuild the thing and recreate it on their own.”
The secretive nature of the product meant that Breitwieser and Ayoub were unable to get much information on public interest. When deciding which of their audiences to test the waters with first, Breitwieser says that at the beginning of their campaign, “we had to get buy in from the people that really know that kind of technology that understand and appreciate it and we have to see that there’s really a market out there for people to be interested.”
They chose to initially target the expert audience over the average consumer because of the audience’s product understanding and ability to provide valuable feedback.
2. Building Credibility
Targeting their expert audience at Defcon allowed Itus Networks to not only raise awareness, but to also obtain validation from credible experts that their device was a legitimate and effective product. Breitwieser says that they were able to speak with “probably two dozen people – CIOs, security experts, CTOs – just in order to validate the concept.” With a reputation backed by experts who understand the product and are able to validate its effectiveness, Breitwieser and Ayoub would then be able to confidently market their product to the average consumer.
Another aspect of building credibility at a conference is tapping into the types of press coverage may be available. Breitwieser mentioned that Defcon provided access to media such as eWeek, Hackaday, and PC Magazine, which could allow the iGuardian to gain even more credibility.
Step 3: Applying for a Spot
After choosing a convention, the next step is to apply for a booth. While doing this, it is important to know the application process and criteria for acceptance to tailor the pitch to the conference organizers. In the case of Itus Networks, Breitwieser did his homework, saying, “we reached out to Defcon, and having been there before, we knew that they would accept vendors in general…you need to come across as somebody who is close to the community and at the same time somebody who has something to offer to the community that is of interest.”
While Itus Networks was a special case in that it was unable to announce its product before the campaign started, Breitwieser also recommends building a reputation before applying for a convention. There is value in any speaking opportunities or industry awards that have open applications.
Breitwieser says that raising awareness “definitely starts getting the momentum going so when you actually kick off your Kickstarter campaign or your crowdfunding campaign, you already have broad support – people are already kind of beating the drums a little bit.” Any positive reputation that can be built will serve as an asset when seeking to apply for a spot in any professional conference.
Step 4: Campaigning at a Conference
Once a convention spot is confirmed, it’s important to understand the best approach to promoting the campaign’s message. There will often be competition with other vendors for attendee attention, so here are a few tips that the Itus Networks’ founders kept in mind:
1. Conference swag
One thing that most convention attendees look for when visiting a booth is the swag they can take away – note cards, stickers, key chains, and even T-shirts. It’s never a bad idea to have an email signup list for attendees who would like to receive more information, and signing the list can even warrant some free giveaways. A successful booth often has several small items that can be distributed, as well as some larger items to distribute to attendees who make a purchase or complete a challenge.
Quick Tip: You can get conference swag at Vista Print or Empire Promos and business cards at MOO.
2. Booth entertainment
Speaking of challenges, Itus Networks had its booth set up to allow attendee entertainment in the form of a contest. Breitwieser explains that they, “created foam rockets for the audience, and what we did then was a little shooting competition where we encouraged people to shoot at the Nazar that you see in our logo… if you were to hit the Nazar with your foam rocket, we would give you a t-shirt or a discount on an element in the Kickstarter campaign.” He mentioned that people don’t always want to be talked at when they come to a convention, and the contest created a lot of excitement at the booth.
3. Networking
However, the booth is not the end-all of conference presence. Itus Networks found success in connecting with some high ranking and senior executives in the industry just before the conference began. Breitwieser says, “reaching out to these contacts in advance actually has proven to be very strong asset for our campaign because those are people that campaign for us in the background.” Planting the seeds of information just before a conference begins can often help by raising awareness in a grassroots promotion style.
4. Other conference presence
Another way to promote a campaign outside of the booth is to partner with an existing conference event. Itus Networks did some research and found a router hacking contest called “So Hopelessly Broken” that was being put on by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Independent Security Evaluators (ISE).
Breitwieser says, “we wholeheartedly embrace the kind of message that they convey, which is your routers are not safe. You need to have something else because otherwise you’re just risking all of your data…so we became a gold sponsor of that event.”
Not everyone visits the convention booths, so having presence at another high-profile event is a good way to boost campaign publicity.
Step 5: Post-Convention Practices
After the convention is over, it’s extremely important to maintain momentum to drive it even further with the target audience. Itus Networks created email lists that it uses to distribute information to interested parties, but they also maintain more personalized contact with certain individuals.
Breitwieser says, “we essentially have created segments where we speak to people directly because we have a very dedicated circle of tier-one influencers that we consider critical for us and for our success.” Rather than simply adding them to a mailing list, the iGuardian creators speak to them directly on a regular basis through direct conference calls and regular meetings.
If you would like to learn more about Itus Networks, visit their website or check out the iGuardian Kickstarter page to offer your support.
About the Author
Brian is a DC-based writer who spends too much time at the office and too little time writing on the side. Despite being warned, he drinks the black office coffee every morning. Brian is interested in covering technology, gaming, food culture, and start-ups You can reach him on twitter or at his email.
