October has been a very successful month for Kickstarter creators. The first project that I talk about this month quickly surpassed the others and has raised over $1.6 in funding SO FAR, and the others have raised hundreds of thousands with weeks (some months) left until their campaigns close.
The successful projects on Kickstarter this month are also from a wide variety of categories, including: tabletop games, product design, gadgets, software, technology, fashion, fabrication tools. My favorites are #1 and #8!
1. Bears vs Babies – A Card Game
Creators: Elan Lee
Amount Funded: $1.6M+
Number of Backers: 40K+
Average Pledge per Backer: $37
Duration: October 18 2016 – November 17 2016 (31 days)
The most funded Kickstarter project this October is Bears vs Babies, from the same creator that broke records and raised over $8.7 million dollars for in February 2015. This 20-minute game is fun and easy to learn, and it is kid friendly. In this game, you get two types of cards: bears and babies. With bear cards, you build monsters with the other players and form an army to fight in a war against the baby army. With 20 days left to go, this game is sure to raise a lot more.
Backers can pre-order the core deck of Bears vs Babies on Kickstarter now for $25.
2. Bonjour | Smart Alarm Clock with Artificial Intelligence
Creators: BONJOUR
Amount Funded: $154K+
Number of Backers: 900+
Average Pledge per Backer: $123
Duration: October 25 2016 – December 5 2016 (42 days)
Bonjour is a smart clock that helps you make the most out of each day, surpassing the usefulness of any of your old alarm clocks. This personal assistant is voice controlled and A.I. enhanced to help keep you on time and productive. A.I. algorithms help Bonjour learn about your habits, make suggestions that fit into your lifestyle, and proactively give you useful information before you even ask for it. This alarm clock can even tell you to leave early if you are going to run into heavy traffic!
You can get your own Bonjour alarm and experience waking up in the best way for as little as $109.
3. Vue: Your Everyday Smart Glasses
Creators: Vue
Amount Funded: $142K+
Number of Backers: 500+
Average Pledge per Backer: $180
Duration: October 25 2016 – December 9 2016 (46 days)
Vue is a new line of stylish and discreet smart glasses that are being offered in three different styles. These revolutionary smart glasses allow the wearer to listen to music, make handsfree calls, charge wirelessly, help you find your glasses if you lose them, and more! Vue glasses are available in prescription, plano (non-prescription), and sunglasses. They are highly customizable, with different colors, shapes, and textures to choose from.
Backers can get their own pair of smart Vue glasses for as little as $179.
4. Font Awesome 5
Creators: Dave Gandy
Amount Funded: $298K+
Number of Backers: 7K+
Average Pledge per Backer: $34
Duration: October 24 2016 – December 1 2016 (39 days)
Font Awesome 5 is a software project that makes it easy for users to add vector icons and social logos and buttons to their websites! Along with the free version is a paid version with over 1,000 icons and SVG support. Font Awesome is an open source option that tries to be sure that their icons are easy to read even at small sizes. This version of the popular software comes with new categories like emoji, technology, seasonal, and sports.
Students and non-profits can get Font Awesome Pro for $20 and backers who want Font Awesome 5 for personal or small business use can get it on Kickstarter for $40.
5. Airblock: The Modular and Programmable Starter Drone
Creators: Makeblock
Amount Funded: $301K+
Number of Backers: 1K+
Average Pledge per Backer: $148
Duration: October 18 2016 – December 14 2016 (58 days)
Airblock is a modular drone that can be built to do whatever you want! You get to put it together, program it, and fly it, giving you the freedom to release your creativity. This is an easy to use and affordable option for people who are interested in drones, physics, and learning basic visual coding. Airblock can be controlled by smartphone and compete in races with other drones of its kind. These drones are also indoor friendly, designed to bump into walls without leaving marks.
You can pre-order one of these cute little drones on Kickstarter now for $99.
6. Conserve Dorothy’s RUBY SLIPPERS
Creators: Smithsonian Institution
Amount Funded: $320K+
Number of Backers: 5K+
Average Pledge per Backer: $56
Duration: October 17 2016 – November 16 2016 (32 days)
This campaign was launched by the Smithsonian Institution is not their first, last year they raised over $719K to help conserve and display Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit. Now they are back with a campaign to help preserve Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. Since these shoes were put together as a prop made only to last through filming, they are looking pretty worn down these days. Now the Smithsonian Institution is looking to raise money to help preserve them and put them in a new display case.
Backers of this project can gain access to a bunch of fun rewards, including coffee with a Wizard of Oz historian and replica ruby slippers.
7. GINA: Smart coffee instrument / by GOAT STORY
Creators: Anze Miklavec
Amount Funded: $209K+
Number of Backers: 900+
Average Pledge per Backer: $196
Duration: October 18 2016 – December 17 2016 (61 days)
Some of you may remember GOAT STORY from their popular and uniquely shaped portable coffee mugs that on Kickstarter in January 2015. Now they are back to introduce GINA, a new smart coffee instrument with a built-in Bluetooth scale that makes getting the perfect combination of coffee, water, and heat a great experience every time. A specially designed valve allows you to choose between pour-over, immersion brew, or cold drip coffee. GINA is controlled by Android or iOS app that also lets you connect with other coffee enthusiasts.
A limited number of backers can pre-order one GINA on Kickstarter now for $160.
8. Maslow CNC – a $500 open source 4 by 8 foot CNC Machine
Creators: Bar Smith
Amount Funded: $130K+
Number of Backers: 300+
Average Pledge per Backer: $342
Duration: October 25 2016 – November 23 2016 (29 days)
Maslow is a large CNC machine that lets you cut out useful objects from wood and other flat materials. This machine is useful to makers and all types of different industries. Maslow CNC was specially designed to be affordable, easy to ship, and easy to figure out. Users can create their own designs or share them and build on one another’s work. With Maslow, you can build a kayak, a house, furniture, and more!
A limited number of backers can get their own Maslow CNC Machine Kit for as little as $350 on Kickstarter.
9. MAG-LEV Audio | The First Levitating Turntable
Creators: MAG-LEV Audio
Amount Funded: $374K+
Number of Backers: 400+
Average Pledge per Backer: $747
Duration: October 12 2016 – November 21 2016 (41 days)
MAG-LEV Audio is a unique levitating turntable that makes a great conversation piece in any home, bringing a cool anti-gravity vibe to your surroundings. This turntable gives you a new visual experience while listening to your favorite vinyl records. The creators of this campaign have taken an old and outdated machine, and updated the look and technology to make it new again.
Backers can get their own Black Edition MAG-LEV Audio for $880 or an Imitation Wood Edition MAG-LEV Audio for $940.
Conclusion
Together these campaigns have raised a combined total of over $3.5 million dollars in less than a month! Most of these projects raised their funding goals in just a matter of hours or days, some with experience and others on their first attempts at crowdfunding on Kickstarter.
If you found any of these campaigns interesting, head over to their pages and check them out! A lot of these projects aren’t finished for another month or two now, so there’s plenty of time to show your support!
If you’re thinking of launching a Kickstarter campaign, you should check out this recent CrowdCrux post called Catastrophic Kickstarter Errors You MUST Avoid!
What project is your favorite?
