On December 16th 2014 San Francisco based Crowdedrocket launched a new crowdfunding platform geared towards startups. It will operate as a niche crowdfunding service that focuses on wearable, information tech, mobile, and consumer electronics projects; but that is not the only way they are differentiating themselves from the competition.
After Kickstarter’s recent easing up on the rules, Crowdedrocket is proposing a much stricter approval process for their new service. According to an article by Slash Gear:
“Instead of allowing just about any sort of project jump onboard, they have a set of ‘thought leaders and influencers’ work to see whether or not said project is worth the jumpstart in the first place.”
Crowdedrocket will also be helping campaigns that are accepted on their platform every step of the way. They provide assistance with things like video services, social media, messaging, and other areas of a campaign. They also help with reward fulfillment as a measure to avoid fraud. For projects that are successful and looking to continue to grow post-campaign, Crowdedrocket will help connect creators with investors.
A Wareable post gives some insight on the experts behind Crowdedrocket:
“CrowdedRocket is the brainchild of serial Silicon Valley founder John Gotts who has enlisted a group of experts to curate and approve the projects up for crowdfunding. There’s tech blogger Robert Scoble (the guy you might have seen showering with Google Glass), Myriam Joire, who has collaborated and worked with everyone from Engadget to Pebble, investor Yobie Benjamin and wearable tech conference organizer Julien Blin.”
The site has already accepted several startups that have launched campaigns on the site, although after some early success the site is currently down due to heavy traffic. Ubergizmo posted about one:
“Moodmetric is a smart jewelry labeled ‘digital mood ring’ by the company. The ring tracks your emotional status by measuring your skin conductance. According to the company, it will help the development of your emotional intelligence and facilitate meditation exercises.”
Other projects include IMP, a tiny home computer that can use apps like Netflix, Amazon Video, and Hulu to stream media, and Hoop Tracker v2.0, a basketball shot tracking system available for Pebble, Android Wear, and Apple Watch.
Crowdedrocket is currently working to get their site back up and running again, and I’m sure many people are eager to see what other projects are added to the platform. In some ways a new, stricter crowdfunding platform could provide peace of mind for backers who have been disappointed by projects on platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter that have not delivered recently. Still, many people also found Kickstarter’s stricter rules to be constraining.
This new platform looks like a good destination for entrepreneurs who are serious about getting their electronics startup to the next level and want easy access to guidance by experts in their field.
