Kickstarter welcomed its 15 millionth backer this summer, and since coming online nearly a decade ago, the crowdfunding platform has helped Chicago-area entrepreneurs raise millions of dollars and launch products now known worldwide.
Collectively, the area’s 10 most lucrative Kickstarter campaigns raised almost $19 million. There’s a card game built around rooting out fascism, a wristband precursor to the Apple Watch and a vessel for infusing cocktails.
The success of some Kickstarter campaigns shocked even their founders, but the product rollouts were rarely without conflict. There were manufacturing delays and copyright infringement battles. There was a lawsuit against pop singer Kesha, and at least one company went out of business. But for many creators, sales of the products are still going strong.
Here’s a look at Chicago’s 10 highest-funded Kickstarter campaigns.
1. BauBax
What is it?
A jacket outfitted for travel with 15 features, including a built-in neck pillow, eye mask and drink pocket.
How much did it raise?
44,949 backers cumulatively pledged $9,192,055 from July 7 to Sept. 3, 2015.
What’s the back story?
Six months after BauBax’s Kickstarter campaign ended, once-loyal backers were frustrated. Shipment of the jackets was delayed, riddled with manufacturing issues and communication problems. At one point, an e-commerce site began selling the jackets before some backers had received their orders.
Ultimately, deliveries to the Kickstarter backers were about six months late, said founder and CEO Hiral Sanghavi, who started BauBax as an MBA candidate at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. But the demand is undeniable.
Where is it now?
BauBax raised the fourth-highest total of any project in the history of Kickstarter, according to the crowdfunding platform. By the end of 2017, the company had shipped 200,000 jackets to 150 countries. Its products are sold in airports as well as on Amazon and other e-commerce platforms. The company operates six warehouses around the world.
BauBax ran a second Kickstarter campaign earlier this year to raise funds for BauBax 2.0, a jacket with 25 features instead of 15. Now based in Redmond, Wash., the company has brought in $25 million in revenue, including through its crowdfunding campaigns, Sanghavi said.
“I had no clue how (it would go), and it blew up,” Sanghavi said. “It was really a life-changer.”
2. Floating Record Vertical Turntable
What is it?
A record player designed so the spinning record is standing up, not laying flat.
How much did it raise?
4,218 backers pledged $1,575,976 from June 23 to July 28, 2015.
What’s the back story?
The Floating Record Vertical Turntable was Chicago-based Gramovox’s second Kickstarter campaign. Its first, for its Bluetooth Gramophone, got the company off the ground in 2013.
Where is it now?
The company employs about 10, has a warehouse in suburban West Chicago where its products are assembled, and continues to sell the turntable and the gramophone around the world, Marketing Director Jack Pochop said. He declined to disclose revenue numbers, but he said interest in the turntable is still going strong after the almost 4,000 units were delivered to initial backers.
“You would think that you get your 15 minutes and it’s over,” Pochop said. “But it never fails to surprise me how many other outlets I haven’t heard of that reach out to us even two years later to profile it for Christmas or something like that.”
Gramovox got a call in February from West Elm, Pochop said. The home goods store plans to display the turntables in almost 40 stores for the holiday shopping season this year and sell it online, West Elm confirmed.
3. Secret Hitler
What is it?
A card game that divides five to 10 players into liberals, who have a majority, and fascists, who will say whatever it takes to be elected or advance their agenda. The players must find and stop the Secret Hitler.
How much did it raise?
34,565 backers pledged $1,479,046 from Nov. 23 to Dec. 23, 2015.
What’s the back story?
With 40,000 orders to fill, the Kickstarter campaign exceeded the Secret Hitler creators’ expectations. It is named after Hitler, after all.
But the game, from Chicago game designers Mike Boxleiter, Tommy Maranges and Max Temkin, who was also a founder of Cards Against Humanity, immediately proved popular. The company was able to use Cards Against Humanity’s shipping infrastructure for distribution, and Temkin had the right contacts and experience to get the ball rolling.
Where is it now?
Temkin said he has heard from high school teachers who use the game for lessons about fascism, and he has seen it played at table-top game conventions around the country. Another factor Temkin said may be driving the game’s popularity: President Donald Trump.
When the creators were designing the game, Trump had not yet been named the Republican nominee. “At the time, Trump was kind of like a curiosity … like, ‘I can’t believe this guy is in the debates,’ ” he said. “Tommy often jokes that we created a Jumanji. Like we made this board game and now we’re trapped in it.”
4. Table of Ultimate Gaming
What is it?
A customizable gaming table. Customers can choose how they want the table to look and select from different functional aspects based on what games they play.
How much did it raise?
1,457 backers pledged $1,237,618 from Aug. 24 to Sept. 28, 2017.
What’s the back story?
The roughly 1,000 tables ordered through the Kickstarter campaign and sales through rival crowdfunding site Indiegogo have been shipped, said Patrick Meyer, co-founder of the company behind the product, Wood Robot. The company started taking orders on its website in February and has sold more than 3,000 tables. The tables are built to order, so there is a short wait, Meyer said. Order a table today, and you’ll get it sometime in October. But that hasn’t slowed the requests, which Meyer said are being driven by a renewed interest in tabletop or board games.
“It’s about people getting together, and maybe as a push back from our digital lifestyle,” he said. “Games give us a way to figure out how to interact with each other.”
Where is it now?
Wood Robot entered into a partnership with British war game-maker Games Workshop in March to build tables to outfit one of its games. Additionally, the company has introduced new accessories for its tables — such as cup holders, chairs and new decorations — that have been driving sales, though Meyer declined to share revenue numbers.
Next month, Wood Robot plans to launch a second Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a new series of table. The tables for sale now are part of Wood Robot’s Elite series and cost $500 to $900. The new line of tables will cost less, Meyer said.
5. CST-01
What is it?
A thin and flexible watch. Imagine a stainless steel cuff bracelet with a time display.
How much did it raise?
7,658 backers pledged $1,026,292 from Jan. 8 to Feb. 22, 2013.
What’s the back story?
Central Standard Timing, the company behind the product, went out of business. The California-based manufacturer the company was working with, which had experience with large-scale manufacturing of wearable devices, was not a good fit for a small-scale startup, CST said in a June 2015 update on Kickstarter.
Where is it now?
The company ceased operations in 2016. It liquidated its assets, selling off parts, inventory and patents, according to a letter sent to backers in May 2017. The founders did not respond to requests for comment.
Kickstarter backers did not get their money back, said Bob Handler, managing partner of Chicago-based Commercial Recovery Associates, who acted as the company’s trustee throughout the liquidation process.
“At some point there was a very compelling idea behind this, but they just had a lot of difficulty getting the thing to market, getting it consistently manufactured and working,” he said. “They were having a lot of production issues, and the money ran out before they could fix it all.”
6. Solar Paper
What is it?
A solar charger so thin it can be placed inside a notebook.
How much did it raise?
6,297 backers pledged $1,021,583 from July 7 to Aug. 20, 2015.
What’s the back story?
Yolk, the company behind Solar Paper, had 10,000 orders to fill after the Kickstarter campaign. SungUn Chang, designer of the product and founder of the company, said those units were delivered “almost on time.”
Where is it now?
The company is based in Chicago, where Chang’s sister lives, and Seoul, where Chang is based. Solar Paper is the company’s main product, Chang said, though it is preparing for another Kickstarter campaign for another product. It sells about 10,000 Solar Paper units annually, through gadget shops and Amazon.
7. TikToc and LunaTik Multi-Touch Watch Kits
What is it?
Wristbands that allowed users to convert an iPod Nano into a watch. This was almost five years before the Apple Watch was first released.
How much did it raise?
13,512 backers pledged $942,578 from Nov. 16 to Dec. 16, 2010.
What’s the back story?
Apple had introduced a new feature to its iPod Nano: It could lock on the clock screen. Project founder Scott Wilson, who had previously worked designing watches at Nike, saw an opportunity.
“We created another home for an iOS device,” Wilson said. “You had one in your pocket, but you had this little thing that had a clip and we gave the wrist as a home.”
That was five years before the Apple Watch was released, and people quickly took notice of the product. Sales were hovering around $5 million a year, Wilson said. Even rising pop star Kesha took notice. The operating company behind the brand, WiMo Labs, received a letter from a law firm representing Kesha alleging trademark infringement on her 2010 hit song “TiK ToK.” WiMo then sued Kesha in 2011 but later dropped the suit.
Where is it now?
Apple discontinued the square Nano that fit into the watch band. “That was the end of life after that,” said Wilson, founder and CEO of Chicago-based Minimal design studio.
Wilson was able to use the leftover inventory for another product called EpiK Watch, which allowed customers another band option for their Apple Watch. For now, the watches are shelved.
8. The Porthole
What is it?
A vessel that holds 13 fluid ounces and can be used for infusions of cocktails, oils, teas or the like.
How much did it raise?
4,270 backers pledged $736,112 from Aug. 7 to Sept. 4, 2012.
What’s the back story?
The Porthole was designed for the mixologists at the Aviary, the high-end cocktail bar in the West Loop. But it didn’t take long for customers to notice the Instagram-worthy concoctions brewing inside.
“It was so popular there that sometimes the Portholes even got up and walked away,” said Kate Sysavathly, marketing lead at Crucial Detail, the Chicago company that designed the product.
Backers ordered about 8,000 of the vessels. That was about 12 times more orders than the company had anticipated, and it took a year to fulfill the orders. The item remains a top seller on Crucial Detail’s website, accounting for about one-third of the design company’s revenue, Sysavanthly said.
The Porthole was the first and only Kickstarter campaign for Crucial Detail, which works with top chefs.
Where is it now?
At the Aviary, Portholes filled with cocktail infusions remain on display, and the vessel still plays a lead role in the mixologists’ work. The Alinea Group, the restaurant group behind the Aviary, is running a Kickstarter campaign for an Aviary cocktail book that includes recipes for the Porthole.
9. Monument
What is it?
A device that stores and organizes photos by time, location, faces and other content.
How much did it raise?
5,029 backers pledged $703,818 from Feb. 16 to March 28, 2016.
What’s the back story?
After working through a month of manufacturing delays due to unaccounted-for Chinese holidays, Monument started shipping its products in October 2016, CEO Ercan Erciyes said. It shipped almost 7,000 devices, fulfilling orders it received through the Kickstarter campaign, a separate campaign on Indiegogo and direct orders through its website.
Where is it now?
The Chicago-based company is working on product development, enhancing the user experience by incorporating features like voice navigation, and photo grouping using artificial intelligence. Erciyes declined to share revenue and sales numbers, but he said the company is expanding its sales channels. Customers can buy a Monument from the company’s website; the websites of Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon; and several retail shops, including one Best Buy store in California.
Erciyes and his co-founder moved from Turkey to start the company, and they were working out of Chicago tech hub 1871 when they launched the Kickstarter campaign in 2016. Now with its own office in co-working space Catapult Chicago, the company employs 12 people and is hiring more.
10. TakTik
What is it?
A case for the iPhone 4s and 5 touted as durable and stylish. Its tagline: “Always use protection.”
How much did it raise?
4,597 backers pledged $680,568 from June 21 to July 21, 2012.
What’s the back story?
TakTik, a durable iPhone case, was another LunaTik product from Wilson. The brand put out cases for the iPhone 4, 5 and 6.
Wilson ran TakTik’s Kickstarter campaign in the midst of success surrounding his watch bands. While he was raising money to grow LunaTik, he got an offer to buy the brand: $18 million, he said. But the deal never went through. Several events occurred, including a battle against knockoff products coming out of Asia, Wilson said. He hired a trademark and intellectual properties lawyer, but it was useless.
“It was like whack-a-mole; you couldn’t stop them,” he said. “You’d take one down, and it’d pop up on a different name somewhere else.”
His lawyer sent out about 6,000 notices of alleged infringement, Wilson said. He watched online sales drop from about $5 million a year to $1.3 million. Additionally, the brand had turned down offers from Best Buy and Target to be sold in stores because the brand was exclusive to Apple, but Apple soon stopped selling TakTik in its stores.
Where is it now?
Wilson tried licensing the product, but he had to kill the license due to poor manufacturing. Recently, however, Wilson licensed the design to work wear-maker Carhartt.
Twitter @AllyMarotti
