Biz Builder Mike

You can't sail Today's boat on Yesterdays wind - Michael Noel

Call For Submissions: Indiegogo Fellowship Program

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The Indiegogo Fellowship Program provides small entrepreneurs and creators from marginalized and underrepresented communities in the tech and innovation community  (i.e. women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, etc.), who have limited resources and support, with a 5-week educational program to guide them in running a successful crowdfunding campaign from end to end.

With a series of guided, exclusive coursework — program participants will get mentorship from established crowdfunding professionals, additional office hours with a core member of the Indiegogo team, and be able to connect with a vibrant business community.

Only 4-6 campaigners will handpicked for this program. 

Apply here!

Application deadline: 9/23

Learn

  • Pre-launch emails + ad strategy
  • Social media strategy
  • Branding and positioning your Indiegogo campaign page
  • Perk and campaign strategy
  • Post-launch strategy
  • Get a shipping and fulfillment consultation

Connect

Indiegogo will provide a virtual environment where participants can access and share resources with each other, get feedback from peers in the program and industry professionals, connect with a new community network, and more.

Evaluation Criteria:

  • Applicant must be at least 18 years old 
  • Applicants must be available between these dates to take part in the program: October 12 to November 20, 2020

Project/Campaign Criteria:

  • Project must be consistent with Indiegogo’s Terms of Service, mission, and values
  • Project must launch on Indiegogo after the program

Application Criteria:

  • Application must clearly articulate why they would be a good fit for this program and how they would benefit from a program like this 
  • Application must demonstrate a clear business plan with goal to launch a crowdfunding campaign, including articulating the product, its current product stage, and provide supporting materials, i.e. pitch deck, photos, and videos
  • Application must answer all questions on the application form

Review Process:

The Indiegogo team will evaluate applications at its sole discretion. The team to decide is comprised of sales, strategy, and marketing team members, and qualified crowdfunding partners. Participants will be contacted via emails, and announced on the Indiegogo blog and social media.

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August 2020: Top Campaigns

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August is ending, which of course means so is summer. (Sadface.) Labor Day is just on the other side of the calendar sheet, and our top campaigns of August are basking in the golden hour of summertime. A unique bike and a camera lens reflect a backer community relishing the summer sun; a portable power station conjures scenes from camping trips; and a revolutionary coffee grinder keeps on grinding away, no matter the season.

Here are August’s top campaigns on Indiegogo: 

1. Bluetti AC200 Solar Power Station

  • $6,531,576 USD raised
  • 6,312 backers
  • Denver, CO

Coming in at number one is a familiar face on our top 5. For the second month in a row, the Bluetti AC200 Solar Power Station tops our list.

The Bluetti AC200 solar power station is like your own private power grid. Outputting a colossal 2,000 watts of continuous power, and eschewing traditional fossil fuels to do so, the Bluetti is your ticket to near limitless amounts of clean power, wherever you go. 

The AC200 has multiple port options and can power 17 devices simultaneously, providing you with an insurance policy during power outages and natural disasters. You can recharge the Bluetti via five different methods, but it’s its efficient solar charging that makes it truly stand out. The Bluetti’s solar panels run on Maximum Power Point Tracking technology, allowing you to recharge your personal power plant in only 3.5 hours of sunlight. 

So ditch that generator, and get off the grid with Bluetti.

2. Superstrata 3D-Printed Bike

  • $5,428,096 USD raised
  • 3,407 backers
  • San Francisco, CA

There’s another repeat visitor to our top 5 this month as well. The Superstrata super-bike is numero dos for a second consecutive month.

The team behind the Superstrata Bike is testing the status quo of bicycle design with the world’s first custom 3D-printed unibody carbon fiber e-bike. Each Superstrata bike is 3D-printed with continuous carbon fiber to custom-fit your size, and all Superstratas rely on precision lasers and robots to manufacture this truly futuristic design. The result is a unibody frame with no lugs, no glue, and no seat tube (!) — just pure space age construction.

3. SIRUI 35mm Anamorphic Lens

  • $1,585,655 USD raised
  • 2,360 backers
  • Verona, NJ

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a high-quality anamorphic camera lens is worth a lot more than that. A typical anamorphic lens can cost thousands of dollars; some reach well into five figure territory. SIRUI is changing that with the market’s first compact, affordable anamorphic lens specifically designed for 35mm cameras.

For those unfamiliar with anamorphic lenses, they provide wide, cinematic shots and dramatic lens flares, taking your photos or footage to the next level of professional. SIRUI already revolutionized the market with their 50mm anamorphic lens last year, and the SIRUI’s new 35mm anamorphic lens packs similar specs into an even more compact unit. 

SIRUI has completely transformed the anamorphic game and is poised to do the same to amateur photography and cinematography as well. 

4. Stoggles Stylish Eye Protectors

  • $1,004,791 USD raised
  • 21,144 backers
  • Los Angeles, CA

We spend so much energy worrying about our masks, but what about our eyes? True, most infections spread via the nose and mouth, but the eye can also act as a back door to bacterial and viral infections, especially when you’re in the habit of touching your face.

Stoggles offer similar eye protection to full goggles but with style. They’re a new kind of eyewear designed to protect your eyes from dirty fingers and airborne droplets. Boasting a protective blue light filter for long days in front of the computer and an anti-fog coating for compatibility with masks, Stoggles are easy to wear wherever you go. They’re also Rx-friendly, so you can put your corrective lenses in the frames if your vision isn’t quite 20/20.

The Stoggles campaign has nearly reached the million-dollar mark, so keep your eyes peeled to see if they can break it by campaign’s end!

5. Niche Zero Coffee Grinder

  • $8,324,415 USD raised
  • 11,861 backers
  • Hampshire, UK

Another month, another Niche Zero mention! It really is the campaign that keeps on giving.

Hailed as “a game changer in coffee grinding,” the Niche Zero coffee grinder aims at making barista-quality coffee available within any home kitchen through a design that gives coffee connoisseurs the freshest grind every time.

What makes it so special? The Niche team outfitted the Zero with large industrial-grade burrs (the machine part that does the grinding) with twice the grind area of standard burrs, delivering outstanding quality all while leaving the grind unburnt and tasting great.

Interested in exploring more campaigns? Check out our team favorites.

Rankings, amount raised, and other stats are current as of 8/28/20.

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SnackJones Is Nosh’ Your Average Snack Experience

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Anyone who’s been stuck at home during the last few months will be familiar with a less-reported effect of the pandemic. That’s right, we’re talking about the temptation of snacking all day. Structured days have gone out the window, and with them, so too has most people’s mental fortitude to eat only 3 meals a day. 

Thankfully we have heroes like Trevor Smith, founder of SnackJones, fighting the good fight to keep our snacks healthy and our love handles in check. SnackJones is poised to become the online destination to discover the best in “better-for-you snacks,” and their recent crowdfunding campaign is helping them take it even one step further: SnackJones’ socially conscious philosophy supports businesses run by under-represented groups in the ready-to-eat food industry.

We recently caught up with Trevor to hear how he’s transforming snacking from a feel-bad-about-yourself pastime to a feel-good business. 

A one-stop-shop for health-conscious snacks

SnackJones is the world’s first online hub to discover, try, and buy the best in “better-for-you snacks.” And unlike other online food retailers, SnackJones focuses solely on bags of quick bites and fast fare.

“There are so many delicious snacks out there that are actually healthy for you, but they’re so hard to find,” Trevor says. “So I wanted to build a destination for people who want to break the habit of buying snacks that end up making you feel bad.”

And build it he did. SnackJones offers health-conscious consumers a one-stop-shop to find new snacks that keep you energized and feeling great all day. Starting this fall, SnackJones will open up its online doors to hungry snackers everywhere.

SnackJones gives you something to chew on

Trevor has also made a point to work closely with snack producers from under-represented groups to ensure customers know their snacking supports a good cause.

“Most people today understand that buying a product goes beyond just the product itself,” he says. “It’s about supporting ethically-run businesses. So I decided to bundle snacks together to make it easy to find snacks that also align with your values.”

Some of SnackJones’ most popular bundles include meat-free options and snacks produced by women-owned or Black-owned businesses.

“It’s a way to give back,” Trevor says. “Everyone wins.”

A man with a hunger for business

SnackJones has also been an opportunity for Trevor to realize his dream of becoming a serial entrepreneur. “The story of SnackJones goes back to my childhood, really,” Trevor says. “I ran my own paper route because I loved the freedom of it. It’s when I got my first taste of business, and I knew being an entrepreneur was right for me.”

When other kids were mashing buttons on video game controllers, Trevor was reading up on the latest trends in the business world. “I would ask my dad to drive me to the bookstore when I was 11 so I could pick up Entrepreneur Magazine,” Trevor says. “I knew running my own business was what I wanted to do, end of story.”

Of course, Trevor’s story doesn’t end there. After years of learning the tools of the trade and running side hustles, Trevor finally made his big break with Secret Squirrel, a cold brew coffee company that gained widespread distribution at large retailers nationwide. Secret Squirrel was eventually acquired, which opened the doors for Trevor’s next project.

“After Secret Squirrel, I wasn’t about to rest on my laurels,” he says. “I’m a serial entrepreneur at heart, and I knew it was time to bring my expertise into the snack world. And Indiegogo has been there to push SnackJones from just an idea to a real-life business.”

Through Indiegogo, Trevor is fulfilling his dream and making the world a better place by doing it.

“Everyone loves to snack, but the options out there are either bad for you or boring. And let’s be honest — snacks should be fun, right? So let’s snack!”

To support SnackJones, visit their InDemand page here.

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