RisksAndChallenges

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  • Kickstarter tells users 'We are not a store,' tightens rules for hardware pitches

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    09.21.2012

    Kickstarter's founders are getting worried about what people think -- and in particular that the crowdfunding platform will be perceived as an Amazon for uninvented gadgets. As such, they're tightening the rules on product pitches to prevent anything too nebulous getting through the vetting process. Projects using simulations or renderings are prohibited from today, forcing creators to demonstrate working prototypes of their inventions. The site is also adding a section called "Risks and Challenges," where contributors have to demonstrate their business, tech and planning acumen by explaining how they'll cope with problems that arise further down the road. Finally, Kickstarter is also preventing job-lots of products being offered as a funding reward (except for things like Ardunio-esque sets, where it's reasonable to expect multiple units) -- ending the days of getting 30 nuclear-powered iPhone cases for the low, low price of $1,000.