crowdfunding

As many high school students wait on pins and needles to see if they got into the college of their choosing, others are far more anxious about finding a way to pay for that schooling. To avoid the multi-decade financial burden of student loans, soon-to-matriculate seniors are flocking to crowdfunding as an alternative financing solution for their studies.

According to a recent report from GoFundMe, 130,000 students have raised $60+ million for college expenses on their platform to date. The report breaks down the data by state and even offers some tips for hopeful college crowdfunders.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

“Variety is the spice of life,” they say.

The amount of toast-worthy beer options consumers have these days is wonderful. While many breweries can or bottle their flagship beers for home consumption, if you want to sip on a local seasonal or specialty brew at home, your only choice is to pick up a freshly filled growler.

Not all of us have the ability (or willingness) to polish off 64 ounces in one session. Luckily, the fine folks at Growler Chill have developed a system that keeps up to three growlers fresh, cold, and on tap for 3+ weeks.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

Unlike the U.K., America’s tea-drinking habits may never overload our electrical grid, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have room in our lives for an electric tea kettle.

For the amateur baristas of the world who want to ditch their old Mr. Coffee brewing system, the new Stagg EKG electric kettle can help brew the perfect cup of pourover. Reach and hold your desired water temperature with the variable control system or use EKG’s bluetooth-connected app to set your temp in order to follow a bean-specific brewing recipe.

The Stagg EKG starts at $109 on Kickstarter.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

Did you know 60% of women say their sleep environment keeps them awake more than their partners, and more than 1 in 4 couples sleep in separate beds because of sleep differences?

My Side and Yours solves the age-old problem of couples who can’t agree on the type of sheets for their bed with the world’s first fully customizable, high-quality linens.

You and your partner each pick the fabric you want. The sheets are expertly sewn together to make a harmonious bed uniquely comfortable for both partners. Visit Kickstarter to help all couples get a better night’s sleep.

– Jonathan Lamb, CEO, My Side and Yours

When Alice Min Shoo Chun and Stacy Kelly created SolarPuff, they knew their solar-powered LED lights would be perfect for disaster-relief aid.

So when an earthquake struck Nepal in the middle of their first Kickstarter campaign, they created a new reward tier where backers could get one SolarPuff for personal use while sending another to an earthquake victim.

Now back on Kickstarter with a smaller solar lantern called the TwiLight, Alice and Stacy are again hoping they can light the night for those in need with a “get three, give two” reward benefiting Hurricane Matthew victims in Haiti.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

There’s a new toy for sale on Kickstarter that wants you to click it, flip it, rub it, roll it, spin it and glide it.

And no, it’s not a reincarnation of the mildly infurating Bop It game from the ‘90s. It’s Fidget Cube, a desk toy that offers six sides of satisfaction for constant fidgeters.

The creators of Fidget Cube believe fidgeting can be a positive behavior and not one “to be sitgmatized and mocked.” To help support that argument and keep your co-workers sane, many of the movements on their $19 widget of fidget are completely silent.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

While nobody enjoys cramming themselves into coach, onboard tensions often escalate when cruising altitudes are reached and seats start reclining.

If you want to catch a bit of mid-flight shut eye but don’t feel like dealing with passive-aggressive knee defenders or ultra-aggressive seat shakers behind you, you should consider backing the FaceCradle, now crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

FaceCradle’s unique travel pillow supports five separate sleep styles, including neck-supported-side-snoozing, table-napping and a hammock-like deep sleep mode. Get your hands (and face) on a FaceCradle in time for holiday travels with a $30 Kickstarter pledge.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

Back-to-school shopping was never my favorite summer activity as a child, but a slight smile crept across my face whenever my parents let me pick out a new backpack.

Outside of a separate pocket for my pencils though, most of the fancy features I originally found fascinating ended up going unused, accumulating lost erasers and spare change.

That is definitely not the case with Peak Design’s Everyday Backpack, now crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Not only is the bag’s list of innovative features incredibly functional, but its slick design will certainly impress the cool kids at school (or the office).

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

Although Keurig coffee systems still dominate many kitchen countertops, it seems their popularity is on the decline.

While others may opt for complex pour overs, 24-hour cold brews or standard ole drip brewers, my preferred method of coffee preparation is the classic French press. Yet many mornings I simply don’t have the time to wait for my water to warm and grinds to steep.

For those mornings on the go, the Pascal Press’s all-in-one French press “pressure brewer” and travel mug can keep me out of the line at Starbucks. Get it for just $31 on Kickstarter.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

Even though it has saved me hundreds of dollars in energy costs, my favorite feature of the Nest thermostat is the ability to control my home’s temperature from my phone during weekend-long Netflix binges.

But for those that live in older homes or apartments without central air conditioning, there is no chance they can transform their window AC unit into anything that could be called “smart.” Until now.

The slim and sleek Noria pictured above packs a ton of Nest-like features into an easy-to-install window AC unit that can be pre-purchased on Kickstarter for $299.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

Kickstarter is a place for bringing new ideas to life, but with large sums of money changing hands on the platform every day, it has become a prime target for a deceptive breed of entrepreneurs.

These entrepreneurs are conducting what I like to call “Alibaba Arbitrage,” when a knockoff of an innovative product is purchased in bulk on Chinese marketplace Alibaba then resold as their own for a markup.

Kickstarter suspends campaigns like these, such as this one reselling $15 inflatable hammocks from Alibaba for $60, but another reseller just made over $3 million selling the same product on IndieGoGo.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

When over 60,000 people pledged over $13 million to the Coolest Cooler Kickstarter campaign in the fall of 2014, they expected they would be sipping on freshly blended beachside margaritas by the spring of 2015.

But here we are more than a year after initial delivery estimates and thousands have yet to receive their cooler. For those of us still waiting, our worst fears were confirmed when creator Ryan Grepper sent out his most recent backer update: the entire $13+ million is gone.

Among other lessons the Coolest failure can teach us is this: Kickstarter is not a store.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com

Over the last two and a half years, I’ve shared over 10,000 words (100 words x 100+ posts) about interesting crowdfunding campaigns with readers of The 100 eNewsletters.

I’m happy to announce readers can give their eyes a rest and instead listen to my ramblings about the world of crowdfunding.

That’s because last week marked the launch of The Krowdfund Pitch Podcast, a Shark Tank-style show where entrepreneurs, artists and inventors using crowdfunding to launch their business or passion project pitch both me and my audience on why we should become backers. Check out the show by clicking here.

– Thomas Schroder, Krowdfund.com