If I had a penny for every second I spent on Kickstarter; I’d be very rich. The crowdfunding platform never ceases to amaze me with some of the most innovative projects by entrepreneurs who dare to dream big. I have to admit that some of the projects are bordering on genius, and many are well worth the pledging amount.
Here are some of the most remarkable campaigns that I came across on Kickstarter.
Barkily
Being a dog parent is not easy, especially if you have more than one pooch. Each dog needs a lot of TLC and regular walks, food and even trips to dog parks/dog beaches. You’ll need to take them for grooming and keep a check on their health at regular intervals. This and other activities related to your pet pooch take up a lot of your time, most of which can be spent locating the best dog care services and then scheduling the visits.
This is where you need Barkily – an app by dog lovers, for dog lovers.
Barkily aims to bring dog care service providers, vendors and dog parents on the same platform. The brainchild of a proud dog parent, the campaign is about an all-inclusive app that acts as a “Doggy Day Planner”.
You can get started by storing your dog’s basic information in the app (free to download) and getting a Barkily Login ID. You can use this anywhere and everywhere from a device to avail a service or access a website, without having to enter the same information time and again.
The app comes in handy to share your dog’s vaccination schedule with kennels, vets, administer the right medication, find out more about your dog’s breed, book dog boarding facilities, getting suggestions and locating your dog easily in case it gets lost.
This is one app that every dog lover needs in order to make sure their beloved furballs live a safe, healthy and happy life.
Beginner’s Pledge: $1
Fuzzybutts Litter Box
The next amazing campaign on the list is Fuzzybutts Litter Box. Named after a cat called ‘Swizzle J.Fuzzybutt’ (seriously!), the product is a great invention for those who are tired of buying and replacing cat litter.
Fuzzybutts Litter Box replaces cat litter with reusable and washable pebbles and drain all the liquid into a reservoir. This means you needn’t keep buying and replacing cat litter so frequently.
All you need to do is scoop up the solid waste of your kitty and wash away the pebbles in a sealed reservoir. The reservoir can hold up to 3 weeks of liquid waste and can be emptied easily within minutes.
The product’s unique mess-free connectors let you drain the reservoir without having to touch or smell the liquid waste. And if you’re wondering about the pebbles, they are heavy to track and won’t create any dust.
The product is excellent addition to every household with cats and is environment-friendly. On the top of everything, it saves you some cash.
Beginner’s Pledge: $5
ChopValue
Chopsticks in China are said to be used for the first time more 3000 years ago, when people used to cook their food in large pots wanted to have their fill quickly. In a haste, they broke twigs off the trees and used them to eat the cooked food.
Chopsticks are now commonplace at restaurants and households all over the world. In China alone, about 80 billion disposable bamboo chopsticks are produced annually. On the flip side, this leads to mass deforestation and creation of chopstick waste that has zero value.
The idea of ChopValue stemmed from the fact that about 100,000 disposable chopsticks end up in the landfills of Vancouver, Canada. With the concept in place, a chopstick collection program was launched in May, 2016 with many restaurants participating in it.
ChopValue gives the disposed (and useless) chopsticks a new lease of life by creating high-quality products with state-of-the-art designs. Many of these products find versatile applications, especially in the participating restaurants where these become a part of the décor.
ChopValue provides free recycling bins to everyone who wishes to join their collection program. To be a part of this project, you have to sign up on chopvalue.ca and a new pick up point will appear on the map. The team from ChopValue will then receive a notification and make arrangements for picking the chopsticks free of charge once or twice every week.
ChopValue definitely deserves many pats on the back for this “green idea”.
Beginner’s Pledge: $5
1000 Glass Cranes
A thousand origami paper cranes held together by strings is a part of an ancient Japanese legend. According to it, anyone who creates a thousand origami cranes within a year, will be granted a wish. It also symbolizes a promise fulfilled.
Years passed and the thousand paper cranes became a symbol of healing in Japan. In 2014, JOHNSON’S® Baby launched a campaign featuring a thousand paper cranes, promising safety for infants.
1000 Glass Cranes takes this concept to a completely new level. The concept belongs to Jeremy Grant-Levine AKA Germ, a seasoned artist who pledges to make handmade glass cranes by using the glass blowing technique.
At the end of the year, the 1000 beautiful cranes are going to be displayed in an installation at Ruckus Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.
What got me hooked on to the campaign is the centuries-old Japanese legend and of course, the curiosity of knowing how project will turn out to be at the end of the one-year duration. I have to see this and will be adding it to my bucket list.
Beginner’s Pledge: $1
Basswall
This one is for the gadget junkies like me.
If you have been looking everywhere under the sun for the most avant-garde music speakers, then it’s now time you stop searching for it.
Basswall is nothing like any other Bluetooth speaker available on the market. Unlike other speakers, these 200 Watt Bluetooth speakers are the epitome of “minimalism” as these are in-built in a customized painting.
Yes, you read that right!
Basswall is a high power, high quality Bluetooth sound system that doesn’t need downloading of third-party applications. It promises to sound like a full studio sound system minus the bulk. In addition to this, you get to choose your favorite artwork as the display.
Available in two sizes and light in weight materials, Basswall works with all most Bluetooth devices such as your smartphone, tablet or computer. There is no need to get up, walk all the way to the painting and manually change the settings on Basswall - you can control it from your device.
You can easily install the painting-cum-speakers in any part of the room without a sweat, enjoy your favorite music and add an artistic touch to your home – all at the same time.
What a time to be alive!
Beginner’s Pledge: $10
These are my picks from the latest Kickstarter campaigns. What about you? Which project(s) caught your fancy from the crowdfunding site? Let me know!